 Away from the local scenes, now onto the forum we have the Suicide Squad. The R-rated comic book adaptation, directed by James Gunn, underwhelmed in its box office debut collecting $26.5 million from 4,002 North American theatres. Those ticket sales were easily enough to lead domestic box office charts, despite falling short of expectations heading into the weekend. There were several factors contributing to its less-than-stellar start, including but not limited to growing concerns over the Delta variant of COVID-19, the Warner Brothers film hybrids released on HBO Max, had no extra charge to subscribers, and its R-rating as well. An upcoming and opening weekend below $30 million isn't surprising given the ongoing pandemic, but it's disappointing because the Suicide Squad cost $185 million to produce, and many million more to promote globally. At the International Box Office, the Suicide Squad added another $35 million from 70 overseas territories, bringing its global tally to $72.2 million.