'Dark Phoenix' has the worst opening in the X-Men franchise's entire history. Damn.
The X-Men can't save everything -- including their own movies.
Dark Phoenix, one of the most beloved storylines in the X-Men comic books, nonetheless debuted to a record low for the franchise this weekend. The film grossed just around $33 million at the domestic box office, compared to the 2016 opening of Deadpool, a spinoff, which grossed over $125 million opening weekend. Even The Wolverine debuted to $53 million in 2013.
The differences couldn't be more stark.
The film, which is the twelfth in the X-Men series, currently has earned a meager 22 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling the series "middling,""clichéd," and "unsatisfying."
Some reports blame the marketing for Dark Phoenix's poor performance. Before opening, director Simon Kinberg revealed that Mystique, played by Jennifer Lawrence, would die in the film.
And it wasn't like there was much competition this weekend for moviegoers. The Secret Life of Pets 2 opened to just $46 million this weekend.
International box office numbers have yet to be released. Still, Fox-Disney, who produced the film, should be a little bit anxious. The movie cost nearly $200 million to film.
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
