By Rebecca Rubin
LOS ANGELES – “Morbius,” the latest comic book adventure from Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, opened in first place at the domestic box office, though ticket sales were considerably softer than recent superhero blockbusters.
Dinged by comically terrible reviews, “Morbius” sunk its teeth into $39.1 million from 4,268 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. That initial tally is at once a sign that audiences truly love comic book movies (in pandemic times, a non-superhero film with a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes wouldn’t stand a chance at the box office) and an indication that not every superhuman character will be greeted equally on the big screen. (Sony’s 2018 antihero origin story “Venom” was similarly panned but still managed to score at the domestic box office with $80 million to start and $213 million in total).
“Morbius” took in $44.9 million at the international box office, boosting its global total to $84 million. Like many Hollywood movies, it’s unclear if “Morbius” will land a release date in China.
Sony spent $75 million to produce the vampire-infused “Morbius,” which is less than studios typically shell out for superhero blockbusters. Marketing and other promotional costs added many millions more to expenses. Since Morbius the Living Vampire is not nearly as well known as Spider-Man, Batman or even Venom, film industry analysts were not expecting “Morbius” to break box office records.
Still, Sony has a lot riding on “Morbius,” which stars Jared Leto as Michael Morbius, a renowned biochemist who becomes a lethal vampire after attempting to cure himself of a rare blood disease. After “Morbius,” Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters is chugging along with standalone stories on “Kraven the Hunter,” starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and “Madame Web,” featuring Dakota Johnson.
Daniel Espinosa directed “Morbius,” with a cast that includes Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Jared Harris and Michael Keaton, reprising his role from previous “Spider-Man” films.
