Birds of Prey, also known as Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC Comics team the Birds of Prey. It is the eighth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and a spin-off sequel to Suicide Squad (2016). The film was directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson. It stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, reprising her role from Suicide Squad, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz, and Ewan McGregor as Black Mask.
Birds of Prey follows Harley Quinn as she joins forces with Black Canary, the Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save Cassandra Cain from the villainous Black Mask. The film provides an origin story for the Birds of Prey team in the DCEU. Despite receiving positive reviews from critics, praising the action sequences, soundtrack, and Robbie’s performance, Birds of Prey significantly underperformed at the box office compared to other DC films. This has led some to deem the film a commercial flop.
Opening Weekend Box Office
Birds of Prey opened in theaters on February 7, 2020 and was projected to gross $50–55 million domestically in its opening weekend. However, the film ended up grossing only $33 million, marking the lowest domestic opening of any DCEU film. Here are the opening weekend numbers for Birds of Prey compared to previous DCEU films:
Film | Opening Weekend Box Office |
---|---|
Birds of Prey | $33 million |
Shazam! | $53.5 million |
Aquaman | $67.9 million |
Justice League | $93.8 million |
Wonder Woman | $103.3 million |
Suicide Squad | $133.7 million |
Batman v Superman | $166 million |
As shown, Birds of Prey massively underperformed compared to other recent DC films, even those featuring less well-known characters like Shazam. Its $33 million opening weekend was less than a third of Suicide Squad’s, despite that film also being centered around Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. This indicates that Birds of Prey failed to draw in audiences on opening weekend.
Total Domestic Box Office Run
In addition to a weak start, Birds of Prey continued to struggle at the box office in subsequent weeks. The film dropped nearly 50% in its second weekend and never regained momentum. After nearly two months in theaters, Birds of Prey grossed only $84 million domestically. Here are the total domestic grosses for recent DCEU films:
Film | Total Domestic Gross |
---|---|
Birds of Prey | $84 million |
Shazam! | $140 million |
Aquaman | $335 million |
Justice League | $229 million |
Wonder Woman | $412 million |
Suicide Squad | $325 million |
Batman v Superman | $330 million |
Again, Birds of Prey massively underperformed by earning just $84 million total, compared to $325–412 million for other recent DC films. For comparison, Suicide Squad earned nearly 4 times as much domestically despite also being R-rated and focused on Harley Quinn. Even less popular characters like Aquaman and Shazam managed to significantly outgross Birds of Prey. This paints a picture of a clear box office flop.
International Box Office Performance
The numbers don’t look any better for Birds of Prey overseas. The film grossed $83 million at the international box office for a worldwide total of $167 million. Here are the international box office totals for recent DC films:
Film | International Box Office |
---|---|
Birds of Prey | $83 million |
Shazam! | $226 million |
Aquaman | $813 million |
Justice League | $429 million |
Wonder Woman | $409 million |
Suicide Squad | $420 million |
Batman v Superman | $542 million |
The international numbers follow the same trend of Birds of Prey massively underperforming compared to other DC titles. A worldwide total of $167 million is exceptionally low for a modern blockbuster, let alone one based on popular DC characters. For comparison, Aquaman earned over $1 billion worldwide. Birds of Prey’s international box office confirms it as a significant financial disappointment.
Budget vs Box Office
With a production budget of $84–100 million and a worldwide box office gross of $167 million, Birds of Prey appears likely to post a loss for Warner Bros. Generally, a film needs to earn 2–3 times its budget to break even once marketing and distribution costs are factored in. Here is how Birds of Prey’s box office profitability compares to other recent DC films:
Film | Production Budget | Worldwide Box Office | Profitability |
---|---|---|---|
Birds of Prey | $84-100 million | $167 million | Likely loss |
Shazam! | $100 million | $366 million | Profitable |
Aquaman | $160-200 million | $1.15 billion | Highly Profitable |
Justice League | $300 million | $658 million | Small profit |
Wonder Woman | $120-150 million | $821 million | Highly Profitable |
Suicide Squad | $175 million | $746 million | Profitable |
Batman v Superman | $250-300 million | $873 million | Profitable |
Nearly every other recent DC film managed to be comfortably profitable based on box office numbers alone. Meanwhile, Birds of Prey looks to be a financial loser for the studio. This is the clearest indication that the film significantly underperformed commercially.
Critical Reception
Although Birds of Prey was a box office bomb, it received generally positive reviews from professional critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 78% approval rating based on 375 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The critical consensus states: “With a fresh perspective, and a fun cast led by the effortlessly charismatic Margot Robbie, Birds of Prey is a vividly realized burst of colorful energy.”
On Metacritic, Birds of Prey has a score of 60 out of 100, indicating “mixed or average reviews.” While not glowing, these reviews are certainly stronger than most previous DC films:
Film | Rotten Tomatoes Score |
---|---|
Birds of Prey | 78% |
Shazam! | 90% |
Aquaman | 65% |
Justice League | 40% |
Wonder Woman | 93% |
Suicide Squad | 27% |
Batman v Superman | 29% |
So while Birds of Prey earned the best reviews of the recent DC films aside from Wonder Woman and Shazam!, critics clearly did not dislike the film enough to account for its box office struggles. Its commercial failure therefore does not seem to stem from overwhelmingly negative reviews.
Conclusion
Based on a weak opening weekend, poor domestic and international box office legs, lower earnings than its production budget, and underperformance compared to nearly all other modern DC films, Birds of Prey appears to be a significant box office bomb and commercial disappointment. It failed to draw in moviegoers despite positive critical reception.
Exact reasons for its financial failure are unclear. Potential factors include weak marketing, an R-rating limiting the audience, an unfamiliar team not as popular as individual heroes like Batman or Superman, and the film’s female-centric nature. Regardless, Birds of Prey flopped financially even though it was praised for its action, humor, and Margot Robbie’s performance. The film’s quality was not enough to overcome other hurdles.
While not as famous as teams like the Justice League or Avengers, the Birds of Prey have a long history in DC Comics. But their big screen debut failed to resonate with mainstream audiences. Birds of Prey is considered one of the biggest box office flops in the DC Extended Universe. But the future could hold better fortunes for these antiheroines. Director Cathy Yan and writer Christina Hodson delivered a fun female team-up film — maybe it will find more success in post-theatrical release and potentially spawn sequels or spinoffs focused on Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. But as a theatrical release, Birds of Prey certainly underwhelmed commercially and qualifies as a box office flop.