The much-anticipated fourth entry of the iconic Matrix saga, The Matrix Resurrections, is ready to arrive in grand style. Its predecessor, Revolutions, came out nearly 18 years ago in theatres. Despite its anti-climatic conclusion, fans always believed that the legendary sci-fi series needed another instalment to justify its presence. We all knew that Neo needed another shot to make things right. So did The Wachowskis. Maybe that’s why Lana Wachowski decided to helm the upcoming Matrix project. Whatever may be the case here, we are glad that this is happening.
However, Resurrections has to face several obstacles to emerge a box office success. There is no doubt that it will face severe competition from the most-awaited superhero movie of 2021, Spider-Man No Way Home. It is quite clear that it cannot beat NWH in collections. But there is one more problem in this scenario. Maybe it is the biggest one. Fans know that Warner Bros has given a simultaneous release to all of its projects in theatres and on the HBO Max streaming platform this year. The studio took this step as a safe bet on its mega-budget projects. In this way, they earn decent profits and reduce the chances of box office failures. Was it a good step? Let’s check it out!
Zack Snyder’s Justice League came out in March this year with an additional budget of $70 million. I mean, WB already spent more than $400 million on its Josstice League. It ended up being the highest-earning failure in the history of Hollywood. But Snyder Cut was a big financial success.
But the studio’s present release format murdered The Suicide Squad on the global box office. Despite getting hailed as one of the best movies of 2021, it earned less than its colossal $185 million during its run. As a result, James Gunn’s Rated-R DC project suffered severe financial bombing.
How can we forget Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune? The first part of the planned Frank Herbert’s novel adaptations managed to accumulate around $390 million. Still, it was way too far from its breakeven point.
In conclusion, we can say that The Matrix Resurrections can become a box office bomb. Early predictions have stated that the forthcoming Keanu Reeves film will earn about $90-130 million during its entire domestic theatrical run. These figures are way too low for a movie like this. We don’t even know how well it will perform in non-US nations. Additionally, we cannot rule out the possibility of online leakage. All these factors will seriously hurt Resurrections’ box office voyage. Let’s see what happens after December 22! Mark your calendars now!