Indy’s latest adventure grossed $60 million in its first weekend in theaters – far short of the budget.
Despite high expectations and even higher spending, “Indiana Jones and the Wheel of Destiny” has not been a big hit at the box office so far. In its opening weekend, the whip-wielding archaeologist’s latest adventure grossed just $60 million in the United States. Internationally, the fifth Indy adventure is around 130 million US dollars.
Indiana Jones and the high production costs
Although the box office receipts for the first weekend don’t seem so bad at first glance, the result in terms of production costs is rather sobering. Disney provided director James Mangold (“Logan – The Wolverine”) with a whopping 295 million US dollars to stage Harrison Ford (“Blade Runner 2049”) in a hat and leather jacket one last time. With marketing costs, a total of up to 400 million US dollars can even be assumed.
Compared to previous Indy films, The Wheel of Destiny also remains a disappointment. When the fourth part of the series, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, started in the cinemas in 2008, the work was able to take in 100 million US dollars despite lukewarm reactions. In return, the first three films in the 1980s brought in true fortunes, which ultimately brought in between 300 and 500 million US dollars on comparatively moderate budgets (20 to 48 million US dollars).
At the US box office, however, Indy’s fifth adventure remains in first place. The producers also have hopes because of the 4th of July in the USA, which traditionally brings people to the cinemas as a holiday. But Indy doesn’t have much time to become a hidden treasure at the box office. As early as July 12, Tom Cruise will start in cinemas as Agent Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1”, which is eagerly awaited despite previous shitstorms.