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| How 'Batman v Superman' Beat the Haters and Became a Box Office Juggernaut Posted:  Have you seen some of the scathing reviews that "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" has received? Forget Lex Luthor and Doomsday; this week it seemed like the biggest threats to the DC superheroes were the critics, who hurled pans that could have thwarted not just Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent but Warner Bros.' vast DC Extended Universe franchise plans for the next decade.Didn't happen, of course. The fanboys -- and everyone else -- went anyway, helping "BvS" launch the franchise with an estimated $170.1 million, exceeding predictions by about $20 million and smashing numerous records in the process. It's the biggest March opening ever, the biggest opening for a Batman or Superman movie, and the biggest opening ever for Warner Bros. With its dismal 29 percent score at Rotten Tomatoes, it's also the worst-reviewed movie ever to earn more than $150 million during its first weekend. So the universe is safe, and so is Warners' investment in the future, starting with the $250 million invested in just this film's production. Still, how did the studio manage to overcome the Kryptonite-like reviews, not to mention decades' worth of justifiable fanboy apprehension over Warners' often botched efforts to create its own Marvel-like big-screen mega-franchise? Here are six secret weapons "BvS" had up its spandex sleeves. 1. Wonder Woman  She may not have a huge part in the film, but DC fans have been waiting 75 years to see her on the big screen. According to a survey by ticket pre-seller Fandango, Gal Gadot's Amazon warrior princess was the single biggest draw, cited by 88 percent of respondents. Of course, Gadot has her own fanbase from the "Fast & Furious" franchise, and everyone knows she's getting her own "Wonder Woman" movie next year. So many viewers were willing to sit through 2 1/2 hours of "BvS" just for a few glimpses of Wonder Woman holding her own with the top-billed heroes.2. Everyone Else Who Isn't Batman or Superman  According to the same survey, 60 percent of those polled were fans of Jesse Eisenberg who were eager to see the "Social Network" star's take on villainous mogul Lex Luthor. And 66 percent were fans of director Zack Snyder, whose previous DC comic book films include "Watchmen" and "Man of Steel." Not that people didn't also want to see Ben Affleck's version of Batman or see "Man of Steel" star Henry Cavill don the red Super-cape again. Still, there were lots of other draws, including even the auteur behind the camera. Speaking of whom...3. 3D and IMAX  Love him or hate him (and there are many in both camps), Snyder deserves credit as a creator of eye-popping visuals that really do look like frames from a comic book brought to life. His movies are among the few that do benefit from being seen in enhanced format. It's no wonder that a full 40 percent of this weekend's "BvS" grosses came from 3D screenings, and a healthy 10.6 percent came from IMAX showings. Those ticket surcharges helped the supercharged opening.4. Timing  It's late March, so there's really nothing out there, not even "Deadpool" or "Zootopia," that offered a real obstacle to the "BvS" steamroller. The only other wide-release movie this week was the romantic comedy "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," which actually did better than expected with it estimated $18.1 million premiere. Of course, it's audience was 76 percent female, while "BvS" viewers were mostly guys (62 percent). So it's not like Warner Bros. had to worry about Universal's rom-com stealing much of its action audience.5. The DC Universe  As Marvel fans know, it's sometimes hard to follow all the action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies if you haven't been paying attention since the beginning. DC fans know that, if they want to keep up with the DC movies that will spring from this one -- there are at least 10 of them on the drawing board set for release over the next five years, including this summer's "Suicide Squad," next year's "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League," and several others -- they had to get in on the ground floor with "BvS." Indeed the new movie contains not just a Wonder Woman guest spot but teasers and Easter eggs for heroes, villains, and plot developments that may not come to fruition for several years.6. FOMO  But even if you're not interested in coming up with your own fan theories or spotting references that may not pay off until, say, the release of the "Cyborg" movie in 2020, you still wanted to see "Batman v Superman" just out of Fear of Missing Out. Thanks to months (years?) of hype, it's become part of the national conversation. (International, even, since the film has grossed an estimated $254 million abroad.) The terrible reviews have only added to that conversation. It can't really be as bad as they say, can it? You went out of curiosity, or because you assumed the critics were just being pointy-headed elitists, or because, even if you thought they might be right, you still had to share the experience. (In fact, the film earned a blah B at CinemaScore, suggesting that word-of-mouth among viewers isn't much more enthusiastic than the reviews.) It's a conversation that's not going to die down any time soon, especially because of the film's controversial ending that's sure to divide even die-hard DC Comics readers who might have seen it coming.Or maybe you've just wondered since you were a kid who would win if your two favorite DC heroes fought each other. If so, then the premise of "Batman v Superman" is nearly impossible to resist. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Weekend Box Office: 'Batman v Superman' Dominates With $170M Posted:  By Jake Coyle, AP Film WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Faster than a speeding bullet and impervious to lousy reviews, the superhero faceoff "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" rebounded from a smack down from critics to debut with a massive $170.1 million in North America, the sixth best opening of all-time. The stakes were high for the Warner Bros. release, which cost $250 million to make and about $150 million to market. But the studio's bid to launch a DC Comics universe to rival Marvel's empire was met with persistent PR pains and numerous changes in the release date. It fought skepticism over Ben Affleck's casting as Batman and a barrage of bad reviews earlier in the week. Things were bad enough to spawn a ubiquitous viral video of "Sad Ben Affleck," which took the actor's response to the reviews and scored it with Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence." But the allure of seeing two of the most iconic superheroes battle it out was enough to set a record for the best pre-summer debut. "Batman v Superman" also grossed $254 million overseas, bringing its global total to $424.1 million for the weekend. The mighty debut was met with a huge sigh of relief by Warner Bros. which invested its full marketing power in "Batman v Superman." The film, directed by Zack Snyder, is the first of 10 DC Comics adaptations planned by the studio over the next five years. Along with pitting Henry Cavill's Superman against Batman, it introduces a number of other heroes soon to get starring roles, including Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and the Flash (Ezra Miller). Audiences gave the film a mediocre B CinemaScore, which suggested some moviegoers agreed with critics. But many fans (a good number of whom bought tickets well in advance) were undeterred. "There was a disconnect there between what critics wrote and the fan interest," said Jeff Goldstein, head of distribution for Warner Bros. "What we're seeing is a huge amount of repeat business." "Batman v Superman" dominated Easter weekend with the kind of blockbuster performance usually reserved for Memorial Day or July 4th. In second was the Disney Animation hit "Zootopia," with $23.1 million in its fourth week of domestic release. The go-to family release of the season, it has earned nearly $700 million globally. Universal's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," a sequel to the 2002 hit romantic comedy, debuted with $18.1 million -- effective counterprogramming to the male-centric "Batman v Superman." Opening well above the $116.6 million debut of Snyder's Superman reboot "Man of Steel," ''Batman v Superman" again proved that among comic-book heroes, Batman (who took first billing from Superman, naturally) is second to none. The opening surpasses previous Batman installments "The Dark Knight Rises" ($160.9 million) and "The Dark Knight" ($158.4 million). "It proves that the concept is bigger than negative reviews," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. "There was no way that if you're a comic book fan or just a movie fan that you're going to miss out on a match-up of such iconic characters. Audiences have to see the movie for themselves." The big weekend also breaks a poor stretch for Warner Bros., which was hobbled by a number of underperforming releases like "In the Heart of the Sea," ''Pan" and "Point Break." If the estimate Sunday holds, "Batman v Superman" will be Warner Bros.' best opening ever, topping "Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2" ($169.2 million). "We all know that studios have dips and you can't hit it out of the ballpark every time, although we try," Goldstein said. "And we had a little bit of a dip in 2015, no question. We always believed in our upcoming slate. We knew it was just a matter of getting to the films." Whether word-of-mouth will be good enough to help "Batman v Superman" maintain its record-setting pace in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but the March release date means it will have little competition. The film soaked up IMAX, 3-D and large-format screens, drawing a 62 percent male audience. "At the end of the day, a superhero movie can be a box-office superhero any month of the year," Dergarabedian said. "For Warner Bros., this is a seminal moment. It proves how quickly fortunes can rise and fall based on your slate of films. This was a bet that paid off really big for the studio." Warner Bros. will hope the success continues for its next DC Comics property, the all-villain team-up film "Suicide Squad," due out in August. Marvel and the Walt Disney Co. may also have been eyeing the result of "Batman v Superman" with interest. Their next installment comes in May with "Captain America: Civil War," which likewise pits two heroes (Iron Man and Captain America) against each other. Such a clash may feel like a repeat to moviegoers. More likely, "Batman v Superman" whetted appetites for more superhero-on-superhero violence. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," $170.1 million ($254 million international). 2. "Zootopia," $23.1 million ($42.5 million international). 3. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," $18.1 million ($8 million international). 4. "Miracles From Heaven," $9.5 million. 5. "The Divergent Series: Allegiant," $9.5 million ($9.5 million international). 6. "10 Cloverfield Lane," $6 million ($2.5 million international). 7. "Deadpool," $5 million ($3 million international). 8. "London Has Fallen," $2.9 million ($4 million international). 9. "Hello, My Name Is Doris," $1.7 million. 10. "Eye in the Sky," $1 million. --- Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore: 1. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," $254 million. 2. "Zootopia," $42.5 million. 3. "Kung Fu Panda 3," $21.5 million. 4. "The Divergent Series: Allegiant," $9.5 million. 5. "The Revenant," $8.7 million. 6. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," $8 million. 7. "London Has Fallen," $4 million. 8. "Kapoor & Sons," $3.8 million. 9. "Deadpool," $3 million. 10. "10 Cloverfield Lane," $2.5 million. --- Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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