Blue Beetle beats Barbie at the box office

It had to happen at some point. After dominating the box office for four weekends, Barbie fell to second place, while the DC superhero movie, Blue Beetle, took first place.

Blue Beetle grossed approximately $25.4 million in North America. How much Tropical Storm Hilary will affect earnings in Los Angeles, the film’s main market, and other parts of the Southwest remains to be seen, but Warner Bros. expects the impact to be significant.

Overseas, the film grossed $18 million in 63 markets, achieving a global start of $43.4 million.

It’s understandable why the superhero movie may feel a little disappointed. Not only did Blue Beetle fall short of expectations (it was expected to gross between $28 million and $32 million based on pre-weekend projections), but it also had one of the lowest openings of any movie in the DC Extended Universe, without adjusting for inflation. Blue Beetle, directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, is Hollywood’s first live-action superhero film centered on a Latino lead and hopes to be a breakthrough for the Latino audience and Latino representation in front of and behind the camera.

Xolo Maridueña stars in the title role alongside Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillén and Becky G.