(Fwrd Axis) — The Batman soared into theaters over the weekend and dominated the competition — more than any other movie this year.
The Robert Pattinson superhero drama earned $128.5 million in its opening weekend and made $248.5 million worldwide while still having a chance to gross $130 million by Monday morning. The Batman is the biggest international Industry opening this year to date and the biggest WB opening weekend since Joker.
This marks the pandemic era’s second-best opening, behind only Spider-Man: No Way Home with $260.1M.
“It’s fun to see the public really embrace the movie,” Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros., said. “That bodes well for its run on the big screen. It helps that the word of mouth is so strong.”
Without a doubt, The Batman is Warner Bros. best opening during the pandemic and for director Matt Reeves. It flew past expectations of a $100 million opening. The flick is also one of the largest openings for the Dark Knight and is the first standalone Batman movie since The Dark Knight trilogy.
The Batman marks the first time Warner Bros. made an exclusive theatrical experience following a year of releasing films on HBO Max. Officially two hours and 56 minutes, it’s one of the longest superhero movies ever made but that did not stop fans from buying tickets to show up.
Solid reviews for the film likely added to ticket sales. The movie earned an 85 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and critics say it could pass the $200 million mark by next weekend.
More than 65% of opening weekend crowds were male, and more than 60% were between 18 and 34 years old. The studio’s highest grossing movies since March 2020 were “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Dune”.
“In its first theatrical exclusive blockbuster release in more than a year, Warner Bros. proved the power of a theatrical-first approach, and that great execution on a creative launch plan is the best way to drive long-term value,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX.
