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It’s Harrison Ford’s final arc as the rock-slacker Nazi Indiana Jones.
And this Friday, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” hits theaters, marking the fifth and likely final chapter in Lucasfilm’s saga.
Disney They spared no expense in bringing the movie to the big screen, starting with a production budget of nearly $300 million. Factor in marketing costs, which are typically half the production budget, and a swanky premiere and after party at the Cannes Film Festival, and “Dial of Destiny” has a huge hole to extract itself from.
Box office analysts expect the film to collect between $60 million and $65 million during its first three days in theaters and around $90 million for the five-day weekend. It marks the latest modest opening in the summer blockbuster season, following the disappointing turnarounds of “The Flash,” “Elemental,” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” earlier this month.
It would also fall far short of the $100 million “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” secured during its first three days in theaters in 2008. The previous Indiana Jones installments, released in the 1980s, saw a much lower opening at the box office. Because tickets were much less expensive at the time and films were released in fewer theatres.
For example, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was released in more than 4,200 theaters, while 1989’s “The Last Crusade” was shown in 2,300 cinemas, according to Comscore data. In 2023, blockbuster features generally open at 4,200 locations, with some films, such as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, at 4,450 locations.
“Dial of Destiny” also marks the first time Steven Spielberg didn’t direct an Indy movie, though the musical score was written by franchise owner John Williams. James Mangold, who directed “Logan” and “Ford v. Ferrari,” is directing the new movie.
The sequel comes 15 years after “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which finished with a 77% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but was widely panned by audiences. Despite a strong opening, the fourth Indiana Jones movie only grossed $317 million domestically. It managed to reach $786 million globally, according to data from Comscore.
The lackluster audience response has resulted in pauses on future films, including the possibility of a spin-off featuring Shia LaBeouf as Indiana Jones’ son Matt Williams. In 2012, Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, eventually pulling the franchise off its former studio partner Paramount Pictures. Disney has kept the character on ice while they work on new content from Star Wars and Willow – two other franchises that have come from Lucasfilm.
Now, in 2023, the fifth installment of the swashbuckling archaeologist’s movie adventures has a “fresh” score of 67% as of Friday morning, with critics saying “Dial of Destiny” doesn’t quite capture the excitement of the previous adventures. However, with Ford donning his famous hat and whip set, the film gives viewers a rush of nostalgia, according to the critical consensus.
It is unclear whether or not this will lead to increased ticket sales.
“The intended audience of men over 35, who have grown up on the entire series, will need to appear with their families, possibly introducing the titular character to their young children who were not present in the previous film,” he said. Sean Robbins, Senior Analyst, BoxOffice.com. “The franchise has overcome its stalled pop culture relevance before, but this time too it must face that added challenge of winning back viewers who weren’t as keen on ‘Crystal Skull’ as they were for the original films.”
Hollywood has had mixed results with nostalgic theatrics in recent years. While Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife have all had good sales at the box office, others have stumbled on the big screen. The films “Blade Runner 2049,” “Independence Day: Resurgence” and “Terminator Genisys” have catered with both longtime fans and new audiences in North America.
“Dial of Destiny” could benefit audiences eager to see Ford, who turns 81 next month, hang his fedora and maybe even pass the torch on to a new generation.
Even as lukewarm reviews approach Friday’s release, Robbins notes that critics and audiences don’t always agree.
“The nature of Indiana Jones as a traditional franchise that’s less front-loaded than the comic book movies we’re used to seeing with a short fuse also means that a large portion of its audience can choose to see the movie after the initial fan-driven previews and opening day.”
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal owns Rotten Tomatoes.
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