James Gunn's The Suicide Squad just set a pandemic era box office record.
The Suicide Squad, written and directed by Gunn, earned $4.1 million on Thursday night previews, the biggest number for an R-rated movie since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began, as reported by Deadline. The film was also Warner Bros.'s first Thursday night preview in quite some time, likely before the pandemic.
Other R-rated films released during the pandemic with Thursday night previews include Funimation's Demonslayer, which earned $3.8 million and Universal/Blumhouse's The Forever Purge which raked in $1.3 million. The Suicide Squad earned just a little more than DC's Birds of Prey which earned $4 million in Thursday previews when it premiered pre-pandemic in Feb. 2020.
The Suicide Squad was released on HBO Max earlier than expected, appearing in theaters and for free on the streaming service at 7 p.m. on Aug. 5, as opposed to its intended simultaneous release in theaters and HBO Max on Aug. 6. The early release also happens to coincide with Gunn's birthday.
Box office projections for the DC film expect the film to make $30 million in its domestic opening weekend. Despite worries of diminished theater traffic because of a rise in COVID-19 cases, some box office experts suggest The Suicide Squad could surpass $40 million over its 3-day release.
The Suicide Squad is now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Deadline