I’m so glad Bong Joon-ho trusted in his original vision and made sure that his own cut ofMickey 17was the one that was released in theaters.Reviews forMickey 17have been exceptional, with Screen Rant’s own Alexander Harrison giving the film a score of 8 out of 10. Reviews for the film have praised the performances of thecast ofMickey 17, namely Robert Pattinson, along with the movie’s intriguing premise. However, despite the positive reviews,Mickey 17underperformed at the box office in its opening weekend.
Mickey 17made $19 million in its opening weekend. Since the film had a large budget of $118 million, this is concerning for Warner Bros. Ahead of the release of the movie, Warner Bros. was getting increasingly worried about the project. This led to the studio actually making analternate cut ofMickey 17. This cut reportedly performed better with test audiences, butBong Joon-ho thankfully decided to proceed with his own cut ofMickey 17.
Warner Bros.’s Cut Of Mickey 17 Surely Would Have Betrayed Bong Joon-ho’s Vision
Warner Bros.’s Cut Of Mickey 17 Is Probably Much Different
Mickey 17is an ambitious science fiction film about the titular character signing up to be an “Expendable.” This means that he continuously dies and is re-printed while on a journey across space to the planet Niflheim. However,things get complicated when Mickey 18 gets prematurely re-printed, which leads to duplicates.Mickey 17is based on the 2022 novelMickey7and is a film that explores themes such as identity, class structure, and power.
Since Warner Bros.’s cut ofMickey 17supposedly performed better with test audiences, it’s probably a much safer movie that gets rid of a lot of Bong Joon ho’s signatures.
Like all ofBong Joon-ho’s movies,Mickey 17proudly wears its themes on its sleeve and doesn’t try to be super subtle about its most important messages. This is ultimately whyMickey 17is such an effective film and a brilliant examination of how our modern-day society operates. SinceWarner Bros.’s cut ofMickey 17supposedly performed better with test audiences, it’s probably a much safer movie that gets rid of a lot of Bong Joon ho’s signatures. Therefore, it is good that the critically acclaimed filmmaker had control over the final cut of the movie.
Knowing WB Considered An Alternate Cut Of Mickey 17 Makes The Movie Even More Of A Miracle
Bong Joon-ho Stuck To His Original Vision For Mickey 17
Even though anticipation was high for Bong Joon-ho’s next movie after the acclaim he received for his 2019 filmParasite,Mickey 17was still a huge risk for Warner Bros. After all, there have been plenty of sci-fi movies that have flopped at the box office in recent years. However,it is admirable that the studio gave the director the money he needed to makeMickey 17as good as it could be.
Why Mickey 17 Doesn’t Set Up A Sequel Even Though There’s Another Book
While Mickey 17 is based on a novel with a sequel, director Bong Joon-ho doesn’t explicitly set up a follow-up to his latest sci-fi comedy film.
It’s not necessarily surprising that Warner Bros. was worried aboutMickey 17, since it is a very strange movie that may not land with all audiences. But, in my opinion, it is always better to take creative risks rather than play it safe. I’m sure Warner Bros. argued with Bong Joon-ho a lot over his version of the movie, but I’m glad the director didn’t give in to the studio and released the cut ofMickey 17that he believed was the best.
