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Unfortunately, it wasn’t. According to Variety, Mercy grossed just $11.2 million domestically in its opening weekend. While that was enough to dethrone Avatar: Fire and Ash as the box office champion (Avatar had won five consecutive weekends), there isn’t much to celebrate here. That $11.2 million figure is the lowest opening for Pratt as a leading man, failing to top the $14.8 million posted by Passengers back in 2016. Pratt has appeared in other films that had lower opening weekends, but in those instances, he either had a smaller supporting part and was clearly not the main draw (Her) or the film played in a limited number of theaters (The Kid).
Can Mercy Rebound at the Box Office After Low Opening?
It isn’t surprising to see Mercy open with such a low debut. Despite featuring recognizable names like Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, the film had a few factors working against it. For starters, Mercy was widely panned by critics. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 20%, continuing an unfortunate streak for Pratt’s non-Marvel live-action films. Word of mouth wasn’t strong, and when you factor in the winter storm making its way across several states this weekend, Mercy was going to be a hard sell for general moviegoers. With the inclement weather, the prospects for even an acclaimed studio tentpole likely would have taken a hit.
Box office business during the early part of the year is typically slow, but despite that, it’s unlikely Mercy can turn things around. In order for a film to bounce back from a low debut like this, it needs strong legs, which Mercy won’t have. Due to the largely negative reception, it lacks the buzz needed to keep bringing audiences to the theater. There are also some other high-profile titles on the way, including the Sam Raimi horror flick Send Help, which could prove to be more appealing options (depending on critical response). If Mercy was being praised as a timely exploration of AI in modern society, then perhaps it could rebound after the weather clears up. But as it stands, it’s probably going to slide down the charts now.
