“Mickey 17” Targets $40-45M Global Debut

Warner Bros. Pictures
“Parasite” and “The Host” director Bong Joon Ho delivers his quirky sci-fi comedy “Mickey 17” on Friday and tracking figures suggest the film is headed for an $18-20 million start domestically according to Deadline.

In addition, the film is aiming for a $20-25 million debut overseas in around 66 territories for a worldwide debut of $40-45 million – not bad for an R-rated arthouse movie that’s proven quite difficult to market.

The main issue is cost though. The film cost a reported budget of around $118 million not including marketing and P&A spending. Estimates are the film will need to earn $300 million at the global box-office to break even.

The film has already opened in Bong’s home country of South Korea where it earned $6.6 million over the weekend – the biggest debut of the year to date in that country.

Reviews have been positive, the film currently sits at 85% (7.4/10) from 103 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is being both praised and criticised for its often wildly veering tone which can be summarised as “Terry Gilliam meets Kubrick meets ‘Dumb and Dumber’”.

Robert Pattinson stars as an expendable worker who is able to be reprinted anytime he dies and is used to carry out dangerous tasks on the inhospitable ice world of Niflheim – dying over and over again until one day, his 17th incarnation surprisingly survives only to encounter his already printed 18th version. Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo co-star.

Bong was also recently told The LA Timesthat he’s “not drawn to franchise films” but at one point thought he would “like to do an ‘Alien’ film” before wryly adding “an ‘Alien’ musical.”