Birds of Prey disappoints with the worst opening of DC's extended universe

Birds of Prey's debut at the box office wasn't exactly fantabulous.

The DC comic book film, an R-rated spin-off of 2016's Suicide Squad centered around Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, took in $33.3 million in North America this weekend, coming in under expectations, per The Hollywood Reporter. Tracking previously suggested Birds of Prey would make around $50 million if not more in its debut.

When it comes to the current universe of interconnected DC films that began with 2013's Man of Steel, this is easily the lowest opening of the series, coming in below the $53 million start for Shazam! in 2019. Although Birds of Prey was rated R unlike the rest of the DC universe, this didn't stop Deadpool from opening to $132 million in February 2016, nor did it stop DC's Joker from opening to $96 million last October.

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So why did Birds of Prey disappoint? Although the film received positive reviews, some speculate its close relationship with the poorly-received Suicide Squad kept audiences from turning out, although that film did perform well at the box office with a worldwide gross of $746 million. Others blame the title itself, suggesting Harley Quinn's name should have been more prominent; its full title is Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

Since the box office failure of Justice League, DC has been taking more of a movie-at-a-time approach to its cinematic universe. But Harley Quinn is set to return in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which will feature a mixture of old characters from the 2016 film and new ones, with Will Smith's Deadshot not returning. If audiences weren't interested in the Harley Quinn spin-off, could that movie also be in trouble?

For now, DC's next superhero film looks like a safe box office hit: Wonder Woman 1984, which hits theaters in June.