Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny On Track To Break Two Terrible Franchise Records
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny looks like it could be the biggest critical and commercial failure in the franchise.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny could wind up with the lowest box office return in the history of the franchise, as well as the lowest Rotten Tomatoes critics score.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opened domestically and internationally at the lower end of box office expectations. During its three-day opening, the movie earned $60 million in the United States and $70 million internationally, resulting in a modest total of $130 million compared to its $300 million production budget.
Even when adjusted for inflation, the movie’s high cost makes it the most expensive installment in the Indiana Jones franchise to date. However, despite being the lowest-earning movie in the Harrison Ford-led adventure franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny still debuted at the top of the box office charts and is expected to rack up $82 million over the July 4 holiday weekend.
Interestingly, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny received a comparatively warmer response from fans compared to the franchise’s fourth installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. However, it’s worth noting that despite mixed reviews, the 2008 film still managed to generate box office revenue of $100 million during its opening weekend.
In terms of total box office earnings, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) sold tickets worth $389.9 million. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) brought in $333.1 million. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) managed $474.2 million, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earned a total of $790.6 million.
The Rotten Tomatoes critics’ scores for the franchise have followed a similar trend, with Raiders of the Lost Ark at 93 percent, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom at 76 percent, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade at 84 percent, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at 77 percent Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny currently holds a 68 percent critics score and a 88 percent audience score.
The Indiana Jones franchise has established itself as one of the longest-running movie series, starting with the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The significant time gap between Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has been flagged as a major reason for the film’s box office struggles.
Moreover, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny marks the first Indiana Jones movie not to be directed by Stephen Spielberg or written by George Lucas, which could have also contributed to its lackluster performance. It’s unclear if the movie’s box office numbers will impact future plans for the franchise.
While there haven’t been many updates since the announcement of a television show, Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm, said Disney has no intention of replacing Indiana Jones as a character. She previously emphasized the unique and irreplaceable nature of Harrison Ford’s portrayal of the role, a sentiment shared by Steven Spielberg as well.
Kennedy affirmed that the five movies featuring Harrison Ford stand as the definitive representation of the character, and they would not pursue any endeavors that would undermine that legacy. That said, it’s important to note movies like Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, are also subject to macroeconomic factors which impact box office takings. And Rotten Tomatoes scores should always be taken with a grain of salt.
