Since its release just over a week ago Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has been through a series of highs and lows. Before its general release on March 25, the film received mixed reviews – some of which have been scathing. Adding to this, a video interview of Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill went viral, as it depicted Affleck’s sad reaction to the news of unfavorable reviews – jokingly synced to Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence.
Yet despite all the criticism, the long-awaited showdown between the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader still went on to smash records at the box office. First it beat Avengers: Age of Ultron for a Thursday night opening at $27.7m, and then it went on to make $166.1 million domestically and $424 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Next, last Wednesday, after only six days, it surpassed $500m.
Yet despite this great achievement for Warner Bros. and DC, the film also dropped a record 81% from Friday to Friday. Whilst it retained the No.1 top spot at the box office for its second weekend, its intake was only $52.3 million – a 68.4% decrease from its record breaking opening.
This drop aside, the latest from box office statistics from Box Office Mojo is that Batman V Superman is closing in on the $700 million barrier at the worldwide box office, with the film currently standing at $682 million. While it’s been reported the film needs to make at least $800 million to turn a profit, it should have no problem doing so, and it may even stand a chance at reaching the heavenly heights of the $1 billion mark.
The movie may have suffered poor reviews and a large second weekend drop off, but it has still been a success for Warner Bros. and DC, one that is surely driving the studio full steam ahead into next year’s Avengers-sized Justice League team up. But money isn’t everything, as the news of reshoots on this summer’s DCEU follow-up, Suicide Squad, suggests the studio has taken heed of certain criticisms labeling its superhero films as too self serious, and the aim now is to provide a film that offers a bit more breadth in terms of tone, and tries to match the seemingly playful mood of the trailer set to Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ Whether or not this counts as a sign of a course correction for the fledgling DCEU remains to be seen, but the proof will likely be in the reception to David Ayer’s “Worst Heroes Ever” action extravaganza.
At any rate, things are looking pretty good for the MCU’s main rival, but they’ll need to keep up the financial success and reclaim critical praise if they’re to maintain their stride – in the next four years of movies, and beyond.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is now playing in U.S. theatres. Suicide Squad will arrive on August 5, 2016, followed by Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 16, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps. on June 19, 2020.
Source: Box Office Mojo
