Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has been getting some mixed reviews, some stating that the movie was mediocre. The reviews did not slow down the long awaited title for its opening weekend at the box office.
Don’t miss @ZackSnyder’s #BatmanvSuperman, in theaters now. Get tickets: https://t.co/7QBFAboiAk pic.twitter.com/mRWR7290Qq
— Batman v Superman (@BatmanvSuperman) March 27, 2016
According the Entertainment Weekly, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has made $170.1 million this opening weekend, smashing box office records in its path. Batman V Superman dethroned The Hunger Games, who previously had the record for the all-time biggest March opening with a total of $152.5 million. The $170.1 million also placed Batman V Superman as the sixth biggest opening of all time.
Batman V Superman has also taken the biggest opening ever for Warner Bros. from the previous holder with 169.2 million, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. There are fans that were not excited to see Ben Affleck as Batman, especially with Christian Bale’s Batman raved performance. Regardless of the skepticism, Ben Affleck’s Batman raked in more than Christian Bale’s. The Dark Knight Rises had the biggest opening in DC Comics history ever at $160.9 million. Batman V Superman has now dethroned that Dark Knight for DC comics.
Even with DC comics new record at the box office, they still fall behind the Marvel Universe, at least that is how it worked out domestically. When looking on the global earnings a different picture emerges. Internationally Batman V Superman added another $254 million, making the worldwide total $424 million, placing the movie as the fourth-biggest global opening of all time. The global haul puts them on top of Marvel’s The Avengers and Iron Man 3.
The record breaking for Batman V Superman does not stop there, the movie was opened in 388 IMAX theaters and had an IMAX opening of $18 million, which created a new Easter record as it raced pass Furious 7‘s previous record of 13.3 million.
"Batman v Superman" broke records at the box office. But that doesn't justify its existence. https://t.co/ZU2YvIRkgf pic.twitter.com/8w2fRZ8jeT
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 27, 2016
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice successful opening means a lot for Warner Bros. as they had a lack luster year for 2015. However, even with the $170.1 million opening, the title does have a long way to go before it can be considered successful. Batman V Superman had a budget of $250 million, not including money spend on the marketing of the film. The negative reviews dished out by critics may cause a drastic drop in box office earnings as we go into the second weekend. Hopefully the ultimate show down of DC comics big men will be enough to keep the fans coming to the theaters.
How ‘Batman v Superman’ Beat the Haters and Became a Box Office Juggernaut https://t.co/PfTkuStqgA pic.twitter.com/3h1So93zk1
— Movie Enthusiasts NE (@ME_NewEngland) March 28, 2016
In other box office news, this weekend Zootopia comes in second behind Batman V Superman with $23.1 million. The Disney’s animated film is in its fourth weekend and has been having a great run.
It was also opening weekend for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, although it may not be Batman V Superman numbers, it was a big weekend for them with an estimated box office total of $18.1 million. The first Big Fat Greek Wedding still holds the record for the highest-grossing rom-com after having an opening weekend of just $597 thousand. The sequel is expected to have a great box office showing, even 14 years after the original was released.
The super-hero movies are in full swing this year, and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is expected to be one of the front runners and its opening weekend shows just that.
[Image from Warner Bros.]
