'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' faces trouble at the box office

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will easily take the top spot at the domestic box office over the July 1 weekend — but will it be enough for the film to turn a profit?

The fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise raked in $24 million on its opening day across 4,600 theaters, including $7.2 million from Thursday night previews. Projections slate it as earning $60 million across its first three days in theaters. However, given that the film cost $295 million to make, theatrical profitability will be a daunting task.

Even when adjusted for inflation, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the most expensive Indiana Jones film yet. 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the second most expensive film in the franchise, costing $185 million to make, which comes out to around $261 million in 2023. It made $790 million worldwide ($1.1 billion when adjusted for inflation). To even come close to matching those numbers, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will have to leg it hard throughout the rest of its worldwide release window.

Other films poised to perform at this weekend's box office include Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, projected to take in $11.7 million in its fifth weekend; Elemental, projected to take in $3.4 million and holding decently after Pixar's worst-ever opening numbers; and No Hard Feelings, projected to take in $7.1 million to bring its domestic total up to $28 million.