“Mickey 17,” The Bong Joon Ho-directed sci-fi picture, starring Robert Pattinson, was a big risk, and its numbers aren’t paying off! The film launched to $24 million overseas and $53 million globally. Not bad for an original R-rated film, but with production alone at a staggering $118 million—plus another $80 million in marketing—this movie needs a miracle to break even. With a box office goal of $275–300 million just to get out of the red, the film might just be struggling for the minimum.
The movie, based on Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, follows Robert Pattinson’s character as a regenerating worker on an icy planet, dying and respawning for science. It opened first in South Korea on February 28 and has since earned $34.2 million internationally, with that country leading at $14.6 million. However, it struggled in China, pulling in just $1.3 million. Premium formats like IMAX and Dolby helped boost ticket sales, but audiences remain divided, giving it a B on CinemaScore and a 79% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Despite Bong’s reputation (Parasite, Snowpiercer) and the actor’s star power (The Batman, Twilight), “Mickey 17” isn’t finding enough traction. Unless it pulls off a sleeper hit move, this pricey space movie may do down as a very expensive decision.