LOS ANGELES 鈥� Only in the modern era of superhero films could a $96 million opening weekend be considered anything less than impressive. But that鈥檚 the situation Warner Bros. and DC鈥檚 鈥淛ustice League鈥� is in.
The big-budget superhero mashup came in well under expectations, which had pegged it for a $110 million launch in North American theatres. If studio estimates hold, it will also have the dubious distinction of being the lowest-opening film in the DC Extended Universe.
It has been a rollercoaster for the DC Universe since 鈥淢an of Steel鈥� kicked off the comic book franchise in 2013, with films battling high expectations, critical reviews and the impossible standard of competing against the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 鈥淏atman v Superman: Dawn of Justice鈥� may have been a critical dud in early 2016, but it still opened to $166 million and went on to net $873.3 million worldwide by the end of its run.
鈥淛ustice League鈥� comes on the heels of the widely well-received 鈥淲onder Woman,鈥� the first DC Extended Universe film to score with both critics and audiences. It reunites Ben Affleck鈥檚 Batman and Gal Gadot鈥檚 Wonder Woman to fight a new threat facing earth while introducing new characters like Ezra Miller鈥檚 The Flash, Jason Momoa鈥檚 Aquaman and Ray Fisher鈥檚 Cyborg.
鈥淛ustice League鈥� didn鈥檛 impress critics, but neither did 鈥淏atman v Superman鈥� or 鈥淪uicide Squad,鈥� which still managed to earn $133.7 million out of the gates.
Warner Bros. is remaining optimistic about 鈥淛ustice League鈥檚鈥� prospects, even with the lower-than-expected launch against a production budget that鈥檚 reported to be in the $250 million to $300 million range, which doesn鈥檛 include marketing expenses.
鈥淚 did have a higher expectation for the three days,鈥� said Jeff Goldstein, who heads up domestic distribution for Warner Bros. 鈥�(But) this is a big vacation week, and we have an opportunity to get a big audience to see us in a different pattern.鈥�
Goldstein said he is also encouraged by a few factors including the overall B+ CinemaScore, the fact that women, who accounted for 42 per cent of the audience, gave it an A- overall and that Saturday earnings were up from Friday鈥檚.
鈥淐learly there is interest in the movie,鈥� Goldstein said.
One film that did have a heroic showing this weekend is 鈥淲onder,鈥� an adaptation of R.J. Palacio鈥檚 novel about a child with a facial deformity that stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay. The family-friendly drama opened in second place with $27.1 million against a $20 million production budget and could be on its way to becoming a sleeper hit. Lionsgate distributed the film, which was financed and produced by Participant Media.
鈥淎ny time you have a big superhero movie opening, a movie like 鈥橶onder鈥� could be overshadowed, but it鈥檚 one of the brightest spots of the weekend,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore. 鈥淭his could be a $100 million movie as people get the word out.鈥�
Disney and Marvel鈥檚 鈥淭hor: Ragnarok鈥� fell to third place in weekend three with $21.8 million, bringing its North American total to $247.4 million. 鈥淒addy鈥檚 Home 2鈥� took fourth with $14.8 million, and 鈥淢urder on the Orient Express鈥� landed in fifth with $13.8 million. Both are in their second weekend in theatres.
Opening outside of the top 10, the faith-based animated film 鈥淭he Star,鈥� from Sony鈥檚 AFFIRM label, took sixth place with $10 million. And both 鈥淟ady Bird鈥� and 鈥淭hree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri鈥� continue to thrive in their expansions.
The Thanksgiving holiday should not be discounted either in its potential to boost a film鈥檚 earnings, and the only, albeit formidable, competition will be from Disney and Pixar鈥檚 latest 鈥淐oco.鈥�
鈥淭hanksgiving is the perfect second weekend for any movie,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淚ncluding 鈥橨ustice League.鈥� 鈥�
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1.鈥淛ustice League,鈥� $96 million.
2.鈥淲onder,鈥� $27.1 million.
3.鈥淭hor: Ragnarok,鈥� $21.8 million.
4.鈥淒addy鈥檚 Home 2,鈥� $14.8 million.
5.鈥淢urder on the Orient Express,鈥� $13.8 million.
6.鈥淭he Star,鈥� $10 million.
7.鈥淎 Bad Moms Christmas,鈥� $6.9 million.
8.鈥淟ady Bird,鈥� $2.5 million.
9.鈥淭hree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,鈥� $1.1 million.
10.鈥淛igsaw,鈥� $1.1 million.
