It’s official – Batman V Superman has smashed box office records.
According to Variety, the superhero epic starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill has debuted to an impressive $170 million… despite an onslaught of negative reviews.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice steamrolled past records,” they revealed, “debuting to a gargantuan $170.1 million over Easter weekend despite being pilloried by critics.”
And that’s an even more impressive $424 million globally.
Why is that so surprising? Well, despite taking a beating from the critics, Batman V Superman has nabbed the biggest opening weekend of any DC superhero film… as well as the best March film launch of all time and the sixth-biggest US opening weekend of all time.
Very impressive stuff… but does that make it a good film?
I can’t help thinking that what we’re seeing here is a studio riding the hype of its most popular intellectual property. Not to say that the public reaction hasn’t been rather positive – it’s certainly been a lot better than the critics. But as our own review reveals, the film isn’t without its flaws.
And let’s face it – box office figures don’t tell us how the film has been received.
After all, the public vote with their wallets before they’ve seen the film.
Either way, it’s a great success for Warner Bros… and it comes as a shot in the arm after such huge flops as Jupiter Ascending and Pan.
“This sets us up well,” said Warner Bros. boss Jeff Goldstein. “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.”
If nothing else, the release of Batman V Superman (and its huge opening weekend) really highlights the power of a popular name… and with a pair of iconic superheroes sharing the big screen for the first time, it’s no surprise that there’s been plenty of hype.
After all, it’s Batman. And Superman. Together.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is in cinemas now.
What do you think of Batman V Superman? Do the box office figures do it justice? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
