Not even a flood of terrible reviews could stop Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice from breaking records over the weekend, with the critically panned film pulling in more than $424 million worldwide on its way to having the biggest premiere of all time for a superhero movie.
The superhero mash-up movie benefited from a rare, simultaneous release in both U.S. theaters and worldwide, as well as earlier screenings during Thursday’s “preview” night and record-breaking advance ticket sales (many purchased well before the film’s review embargo was lifted) on its way to earning the fourth-best worldwide opening weekend of all time. The film’s $170.1 million debut in U.S. theaters was also good enough to give it the sixth-best opening weekend of all time domestically, but well behind superhero movies The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Iron Man 3 on the all-time rankings for opening weekends in the U.S.
Following well behind Batman v Superman was Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia, which continued its strong run by moving past Oscar-winning 2014 feature Big Hero 6 to become the second highest-grossing film for the studio. It’s now $160 million behind current record holder Frozen, but doesn’t seem to be any losing any momentum.
| # | Title | Weekend | U.S. Total | Worldwide Total |
| 1. | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | $170.1M | $170.1M | $424.1M |
| 2. | Zootopia | $23.1M | $240.5M | $696.7M |
| 3. | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 | $18.1M | $18.1M | $26.1M |
| 4. | Miracles From Heaven | $9.5M | $34.1M | $34.5M |
| 5. | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | $9.5M | $46.6M | $118.4M |
| 6. | 10 Cloverfield Lane | $6M | $56M | $68.1M |
| 7. | Deadpool | $5M | $349.5M | $745.9M |
| 8. | London Has Fallen | $2.9M | $55.6M | $55.6M |
| 9. | Hello, My Name Is Doris | $1.7M | $3.2M | $3.2M |
| 10. | Eye in the Sky | $1M | $1.7M | $1.7M |
The only other new movie to break into the weekend’s 10 highest-grossing films was the long-awaited sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which enjoyed an $18.1 million premiere. The film’s first weekend was right in line with many box-office pundits’ predictions, and the comedy is expected to do well as it attempts to replicate the success of its 2002 predecessor.
The recipient of far more positive reviews, R-rated superhero adventure Deadpool also continued its strong in theaters with a $5 million weekend that brings its U.S. total to $349.5 million. That makes it the third highest-grossing R-rated film of all time domestically, only ranking behind 2004’s The Passion of the Christ and 2014’s American Sniper. Both films are well within striking distance of Deadpool, so there’s a good chance the movie could be the new, all-time record holder before it leaves theaters.
Next weekend is expected to be another big one for Batman v Superman, but exactly how big is the real question on everyone’s minds. Widespread negative reviews are more likely to impact the movie on its second weekend, so if the film is indeed as review-proof as Superman is bulletproof, this upcoming weekend will be the true test. Other than Batman v Superman, though, there aren’t any major movies hitting theaters — so the stage is certainly set for Zack Snyder’s superhero brawl to prove itself.
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