Morbius opened to solid numbers in its first weekend at the domestic box office.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morbius earned $17.1 million on Friday from 4,268 theaters, including the $5.7 million made during Thursday previews, leading to projections of around $40 million for the Jared Leto-led film's domestic opening.
These numbers are in line with projections that the Sony Pictures film would earn between $40 and $50 million in its first three days at the domestic box office. This is despite Sony's own predictions that Morbius would earn a modest $33 million overall. By comparison, Sony's previous installment in its Spider-Man universe, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, earned $11,600,000 during its previews.
While Morbius is looking at a solid opening weekend, this is in spite of overwhelmingly negative early reviews from critics, with many noting the film's "messy" plot and "visually confusing" CGI as the film's biggest problems. However, several noted Morbius' post-credit scenes as a major issue as well, with one critic calling them "some of the worst post-credits scenes you've EVER seen." However, many have praised the strong performance of Matt Smith as the antagonist as well as the movie's treatment of the horror genre. Currently, Morbius holds a "rotten" score of 17% on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes, though it does have a 67% overall audience score.
Sony Pictures' Morbius film follows Dr. Michael Morbius, portrayed by Leto, who gives himself transgenic vampirism in an attempt to cure his rare blood disease. Not only does this give him a taste for blood, but superhuman abilities as well, such as heightened senses, super speed and flight. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gil Kane, Morbius debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #101, published by Marvel Comics in October 1971. While first appearing as an enemy of Spider-Man, Morbius later evolved into more of an antihero and was also an adversary of the vampire hunter Blade in other comics.
Morbius was originally meant to hit theaters July 10, 2020, though its release was delayed multiple times due in part to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The film marks the third entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, with the first two being Venom and its sequel, Let There Be Carnage. The first trailer for Morbius was released nearly two years ago, which teased a possible crossover with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man, especially with the appearance of Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes/Vulture.
Directed by Daniel Espinosa from a script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, Morbius is now in theaters.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter