Good news for Doctor Jones as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny crosses the $300 million barrier at the global box office, far from the amount it would have hoped to acquire at this point but an indication that maybe the good doctor will have a better run at the box office than initially thought after its opening weekend.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny might not be doing so bad at the worldwide box office, but its extensive production budget might be the factor that prevents it from being a total success. As of this morning, the sequel directed by James Mangold has earned $302 million, finally matching the estimated $300 million it cost to be made. Even with Harrison Ford back in the iconic role of an archeologist who spends his free time saving the world from unspeakable evil, there’s no denying that the movie will have a hard time with turning a profit for the studio.
As Collider mention, the hefty budget is the main problem here, but with most major blockbusters costing upwards of $200m (Indy was north of $300m) it’s an obstacle that would appear to be here to stay. If Dial of Destiny had cost nearer to what Crystal Skull did 15 years ago ($185m back in 2008) then it would be a very different story. Surely the attitude of the Prequel Trilogy – develop technology to allow epic films to be made on a far more stringent budget – needs to be returned to in order to avoid such financial issues, even within the lucrative blanket of Disney. Either way, Dial of Destiny now looks far more likely to end its run in the $400m range rather than the $6-700m it was most likely looking for.
You can read our review of Dial of Destiny here and listen to a special episode of Making Tracks Reaction Chat below.
