As Blue Beetle's theatrical debut underperforms its low box office projections, Warner Bros. Discovery has released an official statement pointing the accusing finger for the film’s failure to rake in the weekend box office bills firmly in one direction.

Based on the character of the same name from DC Comics, Blue Beetle follows Jaime Reyes, a recent graduate from Gotham Law University who becomes bonded to a powerful alien Scarab after inadvertently winding up involved in a struggle between the devious Victoria Kord and her niece Jenny over the Scarab's use in Victoria's “One Man Army Corps” program. The project was initially set for a direct-to-streaming release on HBO Max but got upgraded with a Blue Beetle theatrical release planned instead for 2023.

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Whether Blue Beetle could succeed financially following a string of box-office flops for Warner Bros. Discovery seems to be leaning in the negative. The film’s first-weekend performance was below the already heavily conservative estimates thrown out in advance, and WB has already identified the reason. Per a post shared by the Exhibitor Relations Co. Twitter account, the company’s official position on Blue Beetle's performance was revealed to be that Tropical Storm Hilary was to blame, with the company's statement reading, "The storm's impact is anticipated to be significant, particularly in Southern California where the film is over‐indexing."

Tropical Storm Hilary is the first of its type to hit the region in almost a century, shattering nearly all rainfall records for the area, according to the local branch of the National Weather Service. The storm's severity has led to heavy rain, flooding, and even mudslides across Los Angeles, Blue Beetle's top market. Despite this, the general attitude towards the statement seems to be one of amused disbelief, with the actual post preceding the official statement attributing its source as being “Direct from WB HQ aka BB spin control–.” This attitude could be because many people saw Blue Beetle on track to be another domestic box office flop for Warner Bros. Discovery well in advance of its release.

It now seems like the overwhelming fan indifference towards DCEU projects should have been one of the lessons Blue Beetle should have learned from other DC projects released recently, as it is now the lowest box office opening for any DC film other than Wonder Woman 1984, which debuted on streaming services simultaneously with its theatrical release, but is even lower than the opening for The Suicide Squad, which similarly debuted for streaming alongside theaters. This result is particularly disheartening in light of the overwhelmingly positive reception to the film itself, with most people liking Blue Beetle and even critics not having too many bones to pick.

While it has been previously said that Blue Beetle's future in James Gunn's DCU would be left up to fate, dependent on the fans and box office performance, there might still be a chance for Jaime and the rest of the team behind the film to continue into the new canon. In addition to Gunn expressing a desire to make the Blue Beetle an important part of his DCU, the film’s director, Angel Manuel Soto, has also revealed that he has plans ready for more of the character if given the opportunity. Whether or not the powers that be will look past the film's box office performance or if a resurgence will come before the theatrical run expires is up in the air, but this time it's safe to say that more people than not are rooting for it.

Blue Beetle is now showing in theaters.

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Source: Exhibitor Relations Co./Twitter `