Mickey17 Tops North American Box Office Before Streaming Release

Bong Joon-ho's latest film, Mickey17, is set to debut on streaming platforms just one month after its North American release. The film, which had a production budget of approximately $120 million, has unfortunately reported a financial loss.

Starting April 7 at 9 PM local time, Mickey17 will be available on Amazon Prime Video, followed by releases on Apple TV+ and Fandango.

Released in South Korea on February 28 and in North America on March 7, Mickey17 has grossed around $45.2 million in North America and $77.7 million internationally, bringing its total worldwide earnings to approximately $123 million (around 178 billion KRW, according to Box Office Mojo). However, its box office ranking has dropped to 12th place.

Despite its earnings being nearly equal to its production budget, local media outlets estimate that Mickey17 needs to reach a break-even point of about $300 million. This figure accounts for additional costs such as marketing and the revenue split with theaters, suggesting that the film needed to earn at least $300 million to avoid losses for its distributor, Warner Bros. The estimated loss for Mickey17 is around $80 million.

In South Korea, the film has also underperformed, attracting 2.99 million viewers by April 6. While it is expected to become the first film of the year to surpass 3 million admissions, this figure falls short of industry expectations. A multiplex representative noted, "We were anticipating at least 5 million admissions."