Highlights
- Blue Beetle actor Xolo Maridueña remains unfazed by Warner Bros. Discovery's struggles with recent DCEU movies, choosing not to let box office pressures affect him.
- Maridueña acknowledges the studio's pressure for the success of Blue Beetle but maintains a positive attitude, stating that box office numbers do not define a film's quality.
- Despite uncertainty about Blue Beetle's future, Maridueña and director Angel Manuel Soto express optimism, with James Gunn emphasizing his commitment to making Blue Beetle a significant part of the DCU.
Blue Beetle actor Xolo Maridueña is not stressing over the pressures of higher management, despite Warner Bros. Discovery's struggles with recent DCEU movies.
Warner Bros. has experienced recent box office disappointments and failures with DC's Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash. According to Gunn, Blue Beetle is the first DCU character, but the movie has suffered the same unfortunate box office fate as its predecessors. Even Maridueña seems up-to-date on the studio struggles, but in the wake of Blue Beetle's release, he is trying not to let these pressures get to him.
Maridueña spoke to Variety about Blue Beetle's release and not letting the box office pressure get to him, which is a sentiment that the cast and crew are likely feeling after the film has done poorly so far at the box office. When asked if he felt pressure for Blue Beetle to be a blockbuster hit, Maridueña said, “I’m sure for Warner Bros., there’s pressure,” and added, “that sounded a little snarky.” Maridueña expressed that he wants Blue Beetle to be the “biggest movie of all time,” and that he truly feels like it is a “worldwide movie.” Maridueña pivots from his Warner Bros. call out and further elaborates, saying he thinks “it should be a box office smash, but at the same time, there’s box office smashes that aren’t the best, and vice versa.”
The Blue Beetle actor does not want to be “a prisoner to the numbers.” This is a positive mentality in a dire situation, which is quite different from previous actors, such as Zachary Levi suggesting fans see Shazam 2 over John Wick 4 on Instagram Live when praising Safran and previous WB executive Walter Hamada. Rather than being overwhelmed by any pressure, the Blue Beetle actor watched the movie on his birthday with his family. “It’s wonderful to have my family feel represented. That’s what all great movies do — regardless of ethnicity, movies transcend all those labels,” Maridueña said.
Regarding the future, Maridueña and the director, Angel Manuel Soto, have expressed optimism that Blue Beetle will eventually return. Even so, Blue Beetle's fate is unclear. Maridueña insinuated that his conversations with Gunn suggested Blue Beetle's future might depend on the film's success. However, Gunn more recently posted a photo of himself with Peter Safran at a Blue Beetle premiere event, which included a caption reiterating his plans to make Blue Beetle "an amazing part of the DCU."
Blue Beetle is now in theaters.
Source: Variety