Birds of Prey soaring toward $50 million opening weekend
By Erik Swann
The Margot Robbie-led Birds of Prey could debut with $50 million at the box office.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is currently on track to earn $50 million during its opening weekend, according to Variety. This total would mirror that of fellow DC film Shazam!, which opened to $53 million last April. The project has a reported budget of $97 million.
Birds of Prey is the eighth film in the DC Extended Universe and features an ensemble cast headed by Margot Robbie, who reprises her Suicide Squad role of Harley Quinn. In the film, Quinn leaves the Joker and joins forces with a group of superheroines to protect a young woman from the clutches of Roman Sionis/Black Mask.
The movie also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollet-Bell, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, and Ewan McGregor. Cathy Yan directed from a screenplay written by Christian Hodgson, and Robbie produced under her LuckyChap Entertainment banner.
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The last few years have seen the expansion of the blockbuster movie season, with films such as Black Panther, Aquaman and Captain Marvel all being released in the early to late winter range. Despite their months of release, the movies performed well at the box office, and all went on to earn more than $1 billion worldwide by the end of their theatrical runs.
Warner Bros. has ramped up the marketing for Birds of Prey in the past few weeks, which has reportedly contributed to its box office projections. The film could also receive a boost from the commercial success of Suicide Squad, which earned a $746.8 million worldwide total in 2016. While the film underperformed critically, Robbie’s Harley Quinn was considered a standout.
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The actress is also set to reprise her fan-favorite role in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad next year. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) opens in theaters on February 7.