'Birds of Prey' flies low on Oscars weekend with tepid debut

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Birds of Prey,” the DC Comics' Harley Quinn spinoff, made a tepid debut in theaters over the weekend, opening in No. 1 but below expectations with $33.3 million domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)," an R-rated Warner Bros. release, arrived in theaters while its star — Margot Robbie — is nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in “Bombshell” and the previous DC film, the $1 billion-grossing “Joker,” is up for a leading 11 Oscars.

But despite those lead-ins, “Birds of Prey” came in for a rocky landing. It had been expected to open around $50 million. It fared similarly overseas, grossing an estimated $48 million from 78 international markets.

Warner Bros. said the coronavirus impacted sales in Asia, though in South Korea, where “Birds of Prey” made $1.9 million, it came in second to a local release. “Birds of Prey” doesn't have a China release scheduled, and "Suicide Squad" never opened there. Cinemas in the country, the world's second largest movie market, have shut down amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“Birds of Prey,” the week's lone new wide release, cost approximately $100 million to make. Cathy Yan directs the “Suicide Squad” spinoff, which Robbie also produced. Robbie stars as Quinn, the crazed criminal who after splitting with Joker is a solo vigilante. Reviews were mostly favorable, with an 80% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave it a B-plus CinemaScore.

After three weeks atop the box office, Sony Picture's “Bad Boys for Life” dropped to second with $12 million in its fourth weekend. The action comedy, which reunites Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, has grossed $336 million worldwide.

Though analysts are forecasting a down year for Hollywood...