Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is off to a so-so start at the domestic box office.
Per Deadline, Disney reported that the fifth and final Indiana Jones film earned $7.2 million in previews, which began at 3 p.m. on Thursday. That number is similar to the Thursday night starts of No Time to Die ($6.3M) and Mission: Impossible – Fallout ($6M). Both of those older-skewing films would go on to open to $55.2M and $61.2M, respectively. Dial of Destiny is currently estimated to gross between $60-$65 million at 4,500 theaters, making it the second-best start for Indiana Jones after 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The fourth Indy film didn't have previews but opened fully on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend with $25 million at 4,260 theaters. Crystal Skull ended up making $100.1M over the traditional three-day weekend and $151.9M over the five-day holiday frame.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is set 12 years after Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, taking place around the time of the 1969 Moon Landing. Harrison Ford returns as archeologist/professor Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr., for the fifth and final time in Dial of Destiny. He first appeared as the fan-favorite character in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. As for why he decided to put on the fedora again more than a decade after last playing the character, Ford previously stated that he had a desire to "see a completion of the character." He explained, "I wanted to see [Indiana Jones] at a later stage of his life when he’s beyond the youthful enthusiasm and capacity, and beset by age and [stifled by academia]. I wanted to see him engage on one more unexpected, unanticipated adventure."
Is This It for the Indiana Jones Franchise?
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is confirmed to be the last film in the franchise. Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy has stated that the company "would never make Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford" although she is open to reviving the franchise "in series television down the road, but we're not doing anything to replace Indiana Jones." An Indiana Jones Disney+ series was rumored to be in development back in 2022 but is reportedly no longer in development as Lucasfilm looks to dial back on its non-Star Wars content.
There have also been rumors of a Helena Shaw spinoff project, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge returning as the Dial of Destiny character. However, if the project is true, Dial of Destiny co-writer/director James Mangold would not be involved. "I'm not interested," he said when asked if he'd return for the rumored spinoff. "I refuse. I just can't do it. The amount of lore and Easter eggs and fan service starts to become antithetical to any of this stuff at a certain point. It isn't storytelling anymore. It's large-scale advertising."
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is currently playing in theaters.
Source: Deadline