Box Office:'Batman v Superman' shatters records with $170.1 mln debut

By Brent Lang
March 27 (Variety.com) - "Batman v Superman: Dawn of
Justice" steamrolled past records, debuting to a gargantuan
$170.1 million over Easter weekend despite being pilloried by
critics. That ranks as the top opening weekend for a DC Comics
film, the best March launch ever, and the sixth biggest domestic
opening weekend of all-time.
It's a shot in the arm for Warner Bros., which has been
reeling from a series of costly bombs such as "Jupiter
Ascending" and "Pan," and is looking to the Dark Knight and Man
of Steel throw down to kick off a series of inter-connected
comic book franchises. Warner Bros. has already announced
release dates for sequels and spin-offs for the next five years,
with the first of these superhero adventures, "Suicide Squad,"
coming out in August.
"This sets us up well," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.
distribution executive vice president. "We're very proud of what
we've made before in the DC world and what's coming in front of
us is really exciting."
The studio spared no expense, tapping Ben Affleck to assume
Batman's cape and cowl, bringing back "Man of Steel" director
Zack Snyder and Superman star Henry Cavill, and shelling out
$250 million in production expenses, as well as millions more in
promotional razzle dazzle. The bet appears to have paid off,
positioning DC and Warners to have the kind of cinematic
universe of costumed heroes and villains that rival Marvel has
leveraged to enormous profits.
It also undercuts the influence of top critics. Reviews for
"Batman v Superman" were withering - the New York Times' A.O.
Scott said seeing the film is " about as diverting as having a
porcelain sink broken over your head" - but audiences didn't
care. They were kinder to the picture too, giving the film a B
CinemaScore grade.
"It's the fans that speak the loudest," said Jeff Bock, a
box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "It proves how
strong these characters are."
The film's audience was largely male (66 percent) and crowds
tended to be younger, with 63% of ticket buyers ranging between
the ages of 18 and 34. Imax showings contributed $18 million to
the gross, premium large format screens added an estimated $17
million to the earnings, 3D screens were responsible for 40% of
the opening weekend results, and RealD 3D accounted for an
estimated $47 million of the total.
"The filmmakers delivered experientially on something that
can best be seen in movie theaters," said Greg Foster, CEO of
Imax Entertainment. "This is not a movie that any one wants to
see in a small venue."
Last weekend's champ, "Zootopia," slid to second place,
racking up $23.1 million to push the family film's domestic
total to $240.5 million. Globally, the Disney Animation
blockbuster has earned $696.7 million, pushing it past the likes
of "Tangled," "Big Hero 6," and "Ratatouille."
In third place, Universal scored a counter-programming
success with "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2." The romantic comedy
pulled in female crowds not interested in watching the superhero
beatdown, earning a solid $18.1 million from 3,133 locations.
"It's not so much to do with strategy and positioning as it
is just a fun film," said Nick Carpou, Universal's distribution
chief. "'It's about family and everyone has that experience and
can relate to a lot of what's in the film and the way people
care for each other in the story."
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" is a follow-up to the 2002 box
office phenomenon, which grossed $368 million at the global box
office. Gold Circle Entertainment, HBO and Playtone produced the
sequel for $18 million and brought back original stars Nia
Vardalos and John Corbett.
The weekend was a grim one for Lionsgate, which saw "The
Divergent Series: Allegiant" plunge 67% in its second weekend,
eking out $9.5 million. The film has earned $46.6 million, a
disappointing result that puts the studio in an uncomfortable
position given that another sequel, "Ascendant," is currently
scheduled to debut in June 2017, when it will face off against
heavy hitters such as "World War Z 2" and a reboot of "The
Mummy."
Sony's "Miracles from Heaven" tied for fourth, earning $9.5
million, and pushing the faith-based drama's domestic haul to
$34.1 million after two weeks.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics debuted the Hank
Williams drama "I Saw the Light" to $50,464 on five screens, for
a per screen average of $10,093, while Bleecker Street's drone
thriller "Eye in the Sky" expanded from 35 theaters to 123 in
its third week, earning $1 million and pushing its domestic
total to $1.7 million.