Bong Joon-ho’s 'Mickey 17' heads to streaming after disappointing box office performance

A promotional display for Bong Joon-ho’s new film "Mickey 17" is seen at a movie theater in Seoul, March 10. Yonhap

“Mickey 17,” the latest film by acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho, will be released on U.S. streaming platforms just a month after its theatrical debut, following a lukewarm performance at the box office. U.S. media outlets estimate that the film incurred a loss of around $80 million (about 116.9 billion won) from ticket sales alone.

Amazon Prime Video announced on Sunday that it would release the film Monday afternoon, local time. According to Forbes, the movie will also be available on platforms such as Apple TV and Fandango. The film, which opened in 3,807 theaters across North America on March 7, was reported to be underperforming at the box office within just two weeks of release.

Industry analysts had flagged the weak ticket sales early on. Entertainment outlet Variety reported on March 20 that “Mickey 17” could end up losing as much as $80 million in global ticket sales. The outlet projected that the film’s worldwide gross would total around $143 million (about 209 billion won), far below its estimated break-even point of $300 million (about 438.5 billion won), factoring in revenue-sharing with theaters.

“Box office dollars dictate those downstream deals,” Variety said. In the case of “Mickey 17,” it estimated that the film is heading to streaming platforms in the red.

Director Bong Joon-ho / Yonhap

According to Box Office Mojo, “Mickey 17” has earned only $45.2 million (about 66 billion won) in North American theaters as of Monday. Its earnings outside the U.S. stand at $77.7 million, bringing the global total to $122.9 million (about 179.8 billion won) — still far short of breaking even.

“Mickey 17” premiered in Korea on Feb. 28 and marked Bong’s long-awaited return five years after his 2019 masterpiece “Parasite” swept four categories, including Best Picture, at the Oscars in 2020. The new film was produced with backing from global distributor Warner Bros. and had been positioned as a major Hollywood release.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.