'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' has a disappointing opening weekend
By: The Week
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
byBrendan MorrowJuly 2, 2023
Disney / Lucasfilm
Audiences apparently weren't jonesing for one last Indy adventure.
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," Harrison Ford's farewell to the role of Indiana Jones, grossed $60 million domestically in its opening weekend. It was a disappointing showing for a film that reportedly cost close to $300 million, and it was also a decline from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which had a three-day debut of $100 million in 2008.
So what happened? One factor to consider is Disney's decision to premiere "Dial of Destiny" at the Cannes Film Festival in May, which turned out to be a major blunder. The hope was seemingly that a warm reception there would help build buzz, but instead, early reviews for "Dial of Destiny" out of the festival were surprisingly negative. As a result, the movie sat with a "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes a month before its release, which couldn't have helped with opening weekend ticket sales. Subsequent reviews were more positive, leading the film to end up with a solid "fresh" score. But the damage from Cannes may have already been done, especially given some moviegoers were already skeptical of another "Indiana Jones" sequel after disliking the previous one.
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave "Dial of Destiny" a B+. That's an improvement on "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which received a B, and the film currently holds an 89 percent Rotten Tomatoes audience score. So word of mouth suggesting this is a better Indy finale than "Crystal Skull" could help boost the film at the box office in the coming weeks and on the Fourth of July holiday.
But "Dial of Destiny" is certainly getting off on the wrong foot, continuing a summer filled with box office disappointments and coming right after DC's "The Flash" bombed with a $55 million opening. Perhaps audiences simply don't connect with Indiana Jones the way they used to, suggesting the legendary archaeologist himself has become an artifact of another era.
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I dont know how good or bad the movie is, but Harrison Ford is 81 years old. They should have left it alone. The beauty of movies is you can watch them over again. Not long ago I watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the first time in many years. It is still a lot of fun.
The only movie I am looking forward to this summer is Mission Impossible : Dead Reckoning. The last few MI movies are among the best action movies ever made , imo.
Is that thanks to Tom Cruise doing all his own stunts work do you think?
That is part of it.
They just know how to make this sort of movie. The director now, Christopher McQuarrie , is quite good at ramping up the tension.
But more than anything is the evolution of the "Tom Cruise" character which has become a sort of human superhero. He doesnt let his friends die, and he always saves the day, even though the character is flawed. Cruise now has a staple character in his films, like John Wayne did. It even carried over into Top Gun Maverick where he made sure none of the trainees died and the mission was accomplished.
This movie isn't about Indiana Jones; it is about his petulant, overbearing, and unlikeable god daughter.
She will not be able to carry on wearing the famous fedora.
What a terrible end to the franchise.
Another Disney disaster. What a shock./S
I loved the first and third movies. The second was just ok for me. But the Crystal Skull was so bad I still have PTSD over it. I still feel like everyone responsible for making me sit through that mess owes me an apology. So I sure didn’t ask for this movie.
It's a sad thing that, as t s eliot wrote, Indiana Jones is going out "not with a bang but a whimper".
Sometimes they just don't seem to know when to quit..
Haven't seen any of them and the shorts I did see... I wasn't fussed...not on my list I am afraid...
You never saw ANY Indiana Jones movie - not even Raiders of the Lost Ark? I think that at least it is a worthwhile experience. Of course my opinion is most likely prejudiced because, as quite a few on this site know, I'm really into "the movies". I even own 1% of a movie called "Silent Partner" starring Elliott Gould, Suzannah York and Christopher Plummer.
Watched the very first Indiana Jones movie at a theater on Kings Cross in Sydney in 1981.
I lived down the hill from KC at 19 Billyard St. EZ Bay and ate at the Bourbon and Beefsteak in the Cross often. Good memories.
Nope.. none of them floated my boat I am afraid..
It's the same when I find out an actor who I am not particularly fussed with is in any movie end of story.. Eg Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson or Russell Crowe in pass...not very Aussie of me but they just "grate" for some reason..
Geez Kings Cross..you were game in those days..
Do you at LEAST like Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee)?
Drank my first ever gin'n'tonic at the King's Cross golf course in '66 while on R'n'R. Unfortunately, my "caddie" hit me up with the Ol' "ya gotta have one every 2nd hole matey" and he'd trot off to the next watering hole to buy my refill. Later that night, the "caddie" introduced me to some of his Aussie Commando buds and I didn't make it back to the hotel for two more days.
Enjoyed the helloutof that R'n'R - them Aussie Commandos sure can drink - and they thought Marines were bad azz
In the same theater they were also showing "Time Bandits". Being a long time Monty Python/Michael Palin fan, I stayed to watch that as well. I enjoyed that more than the Indiana Jones film.
Yep. I wanted to see the Golden Kangaroos perform at Kings Cross but I got there too late and our ship was pulling out the next day.
Evening.. ah yes he is good.. along with Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman and Cate Blanchett..😁
I've always enjoyed watching Hugh Jackman as Wolverine or Logan as a mutant. Last I saw Cate Blanchett was in the LOTR trilogy.