‘Blue Beetle’ unseats ‘Barbie’ atop box office, ending four-week reign

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The DC Comics superhero movie “Blue Beetle” topped the weekend box office with a modest $25.4 million debut, according to estimates released on Sunday. This success ended the four-week dominance of “Barbie,” which had turned cinemas pink with its record-setting streak.

“Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig, still remains a sensation, coming close to retaining its top spot with earnings of $21.5 million in its fifth weekend. The film’s domestic gross has reached $567.3 million, with a staggering global total of $1.28 billion.

Also noteworthy in the box office landscape is “Barbenheimer,” which continues to impress, along with Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” The latter has earned $10.6 million in its fifth week, raising its domestic total to $285.2 million. This has made “Oppenheimer” the most successful movie never to have reached No. 1 in a weekend, a distinction previously held by 2016’s “Sing.”

Internationally, “Oppenheimer” has fared even better, with its global gross at an estimated $717.8 million as of Sunday.

“Blue Beetle,” featuring Xolo Maridueña and directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, performed somewhat under expectations. Initially planned as a streaming-only release, Warner Bros. decided to bring it to theaters, making it the first DC film to have a Latino superhero in the lead role. With a production budget of $105 million, it’s among the less expensive superhero movies.

Reviews for “Blue Beetle” were mostly positive, a favorable comparison to other recent DC releases. Moreover, it’s a unique film for its focus on a Hispanic cast. But it faced challenges, including the surprising longevity of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in the charts and the impact of Hurricane Hilary on the Southern California market.

Another recent release, Universal’s “Strays,” starring Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, struggled at the box office, landing in fifth place with $8.4 million. “Strays” was just slightly outperformed by “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which earned $8.4 million in its third weekend.

Here’s the list of the top 10 films at the weekend box office in the U.S. and Canada, according to Comscore:

1. “Blue Beetle,” $25.4 million.
2. “Barbie,” $21.5 million.
3. “Oppenheimer,” $10.6 million.
4. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” $8.4 million.
5. “Strays,” $8.3 million.
6. “Meg 2: The Trench,” $6.7 million.
7. “Talk to Me,” $3.2 million.
8. “Haunted Mansion,” $3 million.
9. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” $2.7 million.
10. “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” $2.5 million.

Final domestic figures will be disclosed on Monday. To stay updated on film news, you can follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP.

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