The new movie in the Batman verse has flown to a whopping $57 million at the Friday box office for a projected opening weekend north of $120 million. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson as Batman,The Batmanwill most likely score as the second-best domestic opening of the pandemic era behindSpider-Man: No Way Home, which debuted to an impressive $260.1 million in mid-December with earning more than $1.85 billion to date at the worldwide box office.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, The arrival of the Warner Bros. and DC tentpole couldn’t have come sooner for theater owners given how slow January and February were in terms of Hollywood tentpoles.The Batman’slaunch is looking like a substantial success despite it running for almost three hours and being far darker thanNo Way Home.
The film focuses on Bruce Wayne’s earlier days of fighting crime, centering on the murder of the town’s mayor by a masked serial killer. The rest of the movie follows Pattinson as he discovers Gotham’s underworld and the corruption along with it. The movie also features many of Batman’s original characters. Paul Dano plays the Riddler, the serial killer pursued by Batman, while Zoë Kravitz plays Catwoman and Colin Farrell plays thePenguin., with some saying his character stole the show
Related:The Batman’s Matt Reeves Felt Devastated Over Robert Pattinson’s Tenet Casting
The Batmanalso returns Pattinson to his first $100M+ opening since his 2009-12Twilightsequels
The world’s largest exhibitor, AMC Entertainment, is using the movie as a chance to experiment with variable pricing in the U.S. and charge anywhere from $1 to $1.50 more for a ticket. While that is only for regular digital screenings, the upcharge for showings on AMC-operated Imax and PLF screens is likely to be more.
The Batmancollected $21.6 million in Thursday previews and fan screenings in Imax theaters on Tuesday and Wednesday. Like other superhero pics, the $200 million tentpoles are doing substantial business on Imax and other premium, large-format screens.
The Batmanis opening in numerous markets overseas as well, although its release in Russia was halted due to the invasion of Ukraine and the movie does not look to release in China until March 14. Playing in a total of 74 markets by Friday, the movie grossed a hefty $26.5 million for the day for an early foreign total of $54 million. 24 percent ahead of fellow DC picJoker,The U.K. showing opened to amazing numbers on Friday ($6.4 million).
The DC movie has also been receiving positive views from critics, earning an A- CinemaScore from audiences. However, it is still to be determined whether the film can further the box office and go past $120 million in its domestic opening weekend. As movie theaters continue to recover from the 2020-21 blow due to the pandemic, superhero movies are surely continuing to help in that aspect. According to EntTelligence, Batman commanded more than 80 percent of all tickets sold on Friday, with 22 percent of the audience opting to see it in a premium format.
