Rebecca Ferguson’s New Sci-Fi Movie Sinks 2020's "Waterlogged 'Alien' Clone" at the Box Office

The new sci-fi movie Mercy, starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, saw a major second-weekend drop at the box office. The movie opened to poor reviews last week and is struggling to stay afloat amid heavy competition. Mercy still hasn’t recouped its reported budget, despite positive reactions from audience members. Despite slipping out of the top five at the domestic box office this past weekend, it overtook a handful of older sci-fi movies. Among them was Underwater, the underrated 2020 film starring Kristen Stewart, which briefly showed signs of developing a cult fanbase before fading away from public consciousness. Underwater has its admirers and has grown in popularity following its release on PVOD and streaming platforms.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, Mercy can expect a similar boost when it debuts on home video; movies with high audience scores tend to do well when they become more conveniently accessible. The film’s worldwide box office haul after 10 days stands at $41 million, which puts it ahead of Underwater‘s $38 million global box office haul. Mercy is now sitting at a 24% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. But its audience score is soaring at 82%, and the website’s crowd consensus reads, “Best seen in 3D, Mercy is a Pratt-tastic, high-concept whodunit for anyone who enjoys an edge-of-your-seat, popcorn-fueled experience.”

‘Mercy’ and ‘Underwater’ Had Similar Budgets

Directed by William Eubank, Underwater earned slightly better reviews. It’s now sitting at a 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Underwater‘s strong cast and stylish direction aren’t enough to distract from the strong sense of déjà vu provoked by this claustrophobic thriller’s derivative story.” Many critics compared it to Ridley Scott‘s Alien, with the Detroit News’ Adam Graham calling it “a waterlogged Alien clone,” and The Observer’s Wendy Ide remarking that it “looks as though it was shot through raw sewage.” Produced on a reported budget of $65 million, the movie also featured Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., and T.J. Miller. Mercy cost a reported $60 million to produce, and also features Annabelle Wallis and Kali Reis. You can watch Mercy in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.