Updated on 03-29-2016 by Rick Marshall: The final box-office gross for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ended up being lower than initial estimates, with $166.1 million in U.S. theaters (not the $170.1 million that was originally reported). While it retains many of the records it set during its opening weekend, it is no longer the biggest domestic premiere of all time for Warner Bros. Pictures. That title stays with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which earned $169.2 million in 2011.
Reviews tell the world how terrible Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is, even if it was directed by the action movie veteran Zack Snyder. You’ve probably read something along the lines of “My brain committed seppuku halfway through” or “It felt like sitting on the toilet for an hour with nothing to read.” Don’t google those quotes — they’re symbolic. But regardless of what critics and disappointed fans think, publicity pays, and it shows in ticket sales. Batman v Superman made $82 million on its opening this Friday, and the studio has already earned $170.1 million at the domestic box office, the biggest Warner Bros. Pictures opening weekend ever. On top of that, it has earned an estimated worldwide box office total of $424.1 million.
The movie’s budget was a staggering $250 million (and marketing cost another $150 million), so the opening barely covered costs. But screening in more than 4,242 locations across the U.S. grabbed it a new top mark for the highest Thursday preshow during an Easter Weekend. It reached a massive $27.7 million, beating previous position holder Furious 7, which landed at $15.8 million.
In case these numbers don’t make much sense to you, there’s another way to look at it. If this movie had reached over $180 million here this weekend, it would have become the fifth highest domestic opening ever. Alas, to reach the top it would be battling against Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which broke the opening record in December with an earned $248 million in its first weekend.
Regardless of whether it got a medal position or not, Batman v Superman will undoubtedly set a new record for biggest March launch, previously held by the first Hunger Games film from 2012. The four year-old blockbuster recorded over $250 million in March and took in $152.5 million in its first weekend.
In total, Batman v Superman is showing at over 19,700 screens across 39 territories across the globe, and fans are lining up everywhere.
If figures mean nothing to you and you’d rather take a look at some footage before you make a decision, you can always take a look at the movie’s final trailer. If nothing else, perhaps all this success could put a smile back on star Ben Affleck’s face?
