Based on the science-fiction novel "Mickey 7" by Edward Ashton, "Mickey 17" revolves around Mickey ( Robert Pattinson) - a man who is humanized multiple times in a space localization mission. However, things got worse when the 18th version of Mickey was created while Mickey 17 was still alive.
The film "Mickey 17" is Bong Joon Ho's latest project after the success of the film "Parasite".
As soon as it was released, the film debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office at the weekend, making it the first film by a Korean director to debut at No. 1.
However, the weekend revenue in the debut week of "Mickey 17" did not achieve the expected expectations, raising concerns about the film's ability to recover production and promotion costs.
According to Box Office Mojo (US box office statistics unit), the movie "Mickey 17" earned 19.1 million USD from 3,807 cinemas in North America in the first week of release.
Worldwide, the film earned an additional 34.2 million USD worldwide, bringing its total global revenue to 53.3 million USD.
Among international markets, South Korea leads with the highest revenue (9 million USD in the first week of release), followed by France ($2.9 million) and the UK ($2.7 million).
In Korea, the film has topped the box office for 10 consecutive days since its release on February 28, attracting 2.1 million viewers.
According to Yohap (Korea), the movie "Mickey 17" was initially estimated to earn about 20 million USD in the first week of release in North America. However, the film's actual achievements have raised concerns about long-term profits.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. has invested 118 million USD in production costs and an additional 80 million USD for promotion, so the movie "Mickey 17" will need to earn from 275 - 300 million USD worldwide to achieve a break-even point during theatrical release.
Previously, talking about the work, Bong Joon Ho emphasized that "Mickey 17" is a human science fiction film, aiming to convey the message that humans still exist even in the face of harsh adversity.
"Mickey is a working class person who is facing such harsh circumstances. Not simply a story about the character's maturity when having to go through difficult situations, the film also clearly shows the process of the class struggle in society" - the director said.
