The critical reception to Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" may be mixed (at best), but the box office results are already incredibly promising. As of now, it's looking like Warner Bros. efforts to launch their DC Extended Universe is going to have a monster opening weekend. Ultimately, that may be the most important factor in the eyes of the studio.
Domestic Thursday night totals have come in and it looks as if "Batman v Superman" has already made $27.7 million in the United States alone. Wow. That's good for seventh on the all-time Thursday night previews list, ahead of fellow comic book blockbuster "Avengers: Age of Ultron" which pulled in $27.6 million during its opening domestic frame.
That $27.7 number also makes "Batman v Superman" the largest Easter weekend preview showing of all-time, almost doubling "Furious 7's" $15.8 million. We've yet to even add in the numbers from China, Russia, Germany, Brazil and other crucial global markets, which means "Batman v Superman" could break even more records once all is said and done.
In terms of opening weekend, "Batman v Superman" is expected to make anywhere between $140 and $160 million domestic while settling around $350 million worldwide. For a reference, 20th Century Fox's "Deadpool" pulled in a little more than $132 million in the United States during it's opening weekend.
While "Batman v Superman" may not match the heights of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" ($190 million domestic), the latter film benefited from a more standard summer release date. But if we've learned anything from the massive, world stomping success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" it's that you don't need to follow the traditional release schedule path to make a killing at the box office.
Again, the reviews for "Batman v Superman" have been far from glowing, but that rarely hurts an opening weekend. What will be really interesting to watch for is how the negative reception impacts the film's legs. If the movie drops more than 60 percent from Week 1 to Week 2, then Warner Bros. may have something to worry about. But right now, they can take comfort in their box office domination.
