The Bride! bombs with $13.6M global opening for Warner Bros

The Bride! bombs with $13.6M global opening for Warner Bros

Warner Bros. Suffered a stark rejection from global audiences this weekend as The Bride!, a monster movie directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, opened to $13.6 million worldwide. The film’s domestic take of $7.3 million ended a nine-picture winning streak of No. 1 openings for the Burbank studio.

The opening represents a significant low for the studio, falling below the marks of last year’s Companion ($9.3 million) and Mickey 17 ($19 million). Industry sources indicate the loss for the production could approach $90 million in its first cycle following home entertainment revenue. This follows a $65 million expenditure on worldwide P&A. Warner Bros. Has declined to comment on the movie's profit and loss statement.

The financial blow comes as WBD CEO David Zaslav recently cashed in more than $114 million in stocks during an executive trading window for deal negotiations.

A High-Art Gamble

The production of The Bride! was an expensive undertaking for an original, edgy film. Gyllenhaal utilized top-tier talent, including Oscar-nominated production designer Karen Murphy, DP Lawrence Sher, and costume designer Sandy Powell. The decision to shoot in New York resulted in $60 million in production wages and the employment of over 2,500 local hires and 500 businesses. This New York location reportedly made the project too expensive for Netflix.

The film’s release date was pushed from last fall to this weekend. This timing placed it in the pre-Oscars window, coinciding with award buzz for star Jessie Buckley, who is eyeing a Best Actress nomination for Hamnet following wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics Choice, and the Actors Awards.

Despite the support of Warner Bros. Motion Picture chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, the film struggled to find its identity. Gyllenhaal reportedly explored several concepts for the movie, including a punk rock monster movie, a Bonnie & Clyde-style tragic love story, and a female empowerment film, though testing indicated these needed to be stripped back. The final product maintained a meandering pace and included extra characters, such as a detective played by Peter Sarsgaard and Penélope Cruz, that some felt did not advance the plot.

Audience Reception and Competition

The film’s failure to become an "event" is reflected in its data. PostTrak exits showed a 43% "definite recommend" rate. The audience split was 53% male and 47% female, with 39% of men and 27% of women over 25. The movie earned a C+ CinemaScore, a grade on par with Midsommar and lower than period horror hits like Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Nosferatu.

Analysts suggest the film was bruised by the prior release of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix, which was viewed by 33 million people in its first week. Greenlight Analytics tracking indicated moviegoers felt they had already seen a Frankenstein story at home.

Broad Studio Struggles

The weekend was a mixed bag for Warner Bros. While The Bride! struggled, other projects are on the horizon. The studio's diversified slate includes upcoming releases such as Mortal Kombat II, Evil Dead Burn, Practical Magic 2, The Cat in the Hat, and Dune: Part Three.

Simultaneously, the studio is managing the rollout of Supergirl, the second film in the DC Universe (DCU). The superhero film, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock, opened on June 26, 2026. While some reports highlighted a $13 million first day globally, neutral observers noted a more fragile start, with domestic previews bringing in $7.8 million. With a reported net budget of $170 million, Supergirl is facing an uphill battle to turn a profit, mirroring the fragility of the current domestic box office.