Based on an impressive $21.6 preview haul announced by Warner Bros. for their latest superhero film, The Batman, analysts say the Robert Pattinson-starring film could top $150 million for its opening weekend.
On the conservative end, adjusting for possible coronavirus pandemic impacts, The Numbers predicts the weekend box office haul to be in the $81-$155 million dollar range. A more optimistic prediction by Box Office Pro places the figure closer to the $131-$168 million range, based on similarly-situated past blockbuster films.
The Numbers’ low-end prediction, $81.2 million, is due in part to estimated impacts of the pandemic, which may result in only 2/3 of the movie’s main audience attending the film. But on the high end of their prediction, they are pegging the haul at closer to $155.9 million, based on the preview figures alone. The website ultimately landed at $137 million, which adjusts for the reported “Thursday previews” haul being spread out between several special screenings WB held between Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
So long as it tops $120 million, The Batman’s opening weekend will place as the second-biggest of the pandemic era, bested only by Marvel’s massive hit Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Box Office Pro lays out two main challenges The Batman will have to overcome in order to crack the high end of the predictions; the film’s almost three-hour run time, and the stigma of two previous, critically-panned Batman movies, 2016’s Batman v Superman, and 2017’s Justice League. Hopefully, the latter won’t be an issue, since the film already boasts an impressive 85% critical score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
However, it seems like Warner Bros. are on the right track, since The Batman has already broken some pandemic-era studio records, including their very best launch day in Korea, Belgium, and France.
The Batman is in theaters now.