BATMAN V SUPERMAN: Dawn of Justice shrugged off lousy reviews to debut with an estimated $170.1 million (€152 million) in North America, the sixth best weekend opening of all-time.
The stakes were high for the Warner Bros superhero showdown, which cost $250 million (€223 million) to make and some $150 million (€134 million) to market.
But the studio’s bid to kick start a DC Comics universe to rival Marvel’s empire fought against skepticism over Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman and a barrage of bad reviews earlier in the week.
Audiences gave the film a mediocre B CinemaScore, which suggested some moviegoers agreed with critics.
But the allure of seeing two of the most iconic superheroes battle was enough to set a new record for the best pre-summer debut.
The film dominated Easter weekend with the kind of blockbuster performance usually reserved for Memorial Day or 4 July. In second was the Disney Animation hit Zootopia, with $23.1 (€20.5) million in its fourth week of domestic release.
The go-to family release of the season, it has earned nearly $700 million (€626 million) globally. Universal’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, a sequel to the 2002 hit romantic comedy, debuted with $18.1 million (€16 million), benefiting by drawing female audiences against the male-centric Batman v Superman.
If the estimate Sunday holds, Batman v Superman will be Warner Bros’ best opening ever, besting Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169.2 million) (€151 million). It also supersedes previous Batman films like The Dark Knight Rises (€160.9 million) and “The Dark Knight” (€158.4 million).
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