Box Office: ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Only Cracking $82 Million Through Fourth of July

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is staying in line with some tempered box office expectations, still tracking to fall in line with estimates that had pegged the film with an opening between $80 million and $85 million through the Fourth of July holiday.

The Harrison Ford finale earned $11.8 million on Monday, pushing its domestic total to $71 million. Unlike some other holidays, Independence Day isn’t exactly the largest box office booster — with families hitting the beach, barbecuing red meat and waiting for fireworks, filmgoing isn’t exactly at the top of the agenda for most Americans. Rather, it’s the time off around the Fourth that can offer some extra lift to studio tentpoles.

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And “Indiana Jones 5” needs all the lift it can get. An $82 million gross through the first five days of release shouldn’t be shabby for a legacy sequel from a more-than-40-year-old franchise, but “Dial of Destiny” is one of the most expensive films ever produced by Disney and Lucasfilm. The finale carries a production budget of $295 million. Along with an underwhelming debut overseas and upcoming July releases like “Oppenheimer” and “Mission: Impossible 7” that also look to target older viewers, things aren’t looking bright for “Indiana Jones.” $295 million. Why’d it have to be $295 million?

Whether it turned out to be a hit or a flop, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” was always billed as the final entry in the globe-trotting action series. Ford reprises his role as the whip-cracking archeologist, teaming up with his goddaughter (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) to protect a powerful artifact from the hands of Nazis during the Space Age. James Mangold helmed the feature, taking over after franchise director Steven Spielberg exited the project during development.

The remainder of the top five remained steady through the weekend. Along with the top slot, Disney also claimed third with the Pixar romance “Elemental.” The animated adventure added $3 million on Monday to push its domestic total to $92 million, inching closer to surpassing the $100 million mark. It’d be a cause for celebration if it weren’t for the film’s $200 million production budget.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” added $3 million on Monday. The Sony release has now earned $343 million in North America, honing in on surpassing “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($355 million) to become the second highest-grossing domestic release of the year.

Sony also took fourth place with the Jennifer Lawrence comedy “No Hard Feelings,” which added $1.89 million on Monday. Domestic total is at $31 million. Paramount’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” rounds out the top five with $1.7 million on Monday.

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