Movie

The Matt Reeves-directed superhero movie starring Robert Pattinson scores the second-highest opening of the pandemic era, just behind 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'.

• Mar 7, 2022

AceShowbiz - Warner Bros. Pictures is celebrating the huge opening of its tentpole "The Batman". Having been highly anticipated since it began filming in 2020, the new reboot of the Batman film franchise opened to a staggering $128.5 in North America, according to studio estimates on Sunday, March 6.

The number marks the second-highest debut of the pandemic era, just behind "Spider-Man: No Way Home" which still holds the record with $260 million opening weekend in December 2021. "The Batman" opening is currently the biggest opening of 2022 as it surpassed studio estimates of around $90 million.

Praising the movie as "exceptional," Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' president of domestic distribution, also credited theater owners for making it happen. "We knew the movie was exceptional. We knew fans would embrace it. But we didn't know what the pandemic would hold," he said after the number of estimated ticket sales was revealed. "Theater owners really stepped up and showed their showmanship ... it was really a collective win."

Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, chimed in, "The box office is back with a vengeance." He added, "This is a real turning point for the industry. The box office year has been moving in fits and starts. There have been some solid performances but no blockbuster breakout opener in 2022. This is great for movie theaters."

Clocking in nearly three hours, the Matt Reeves-directed movie stars Robert Pattinson as the latest iteration of the Dark Knight. The movie earned majorly positive reviews from critics, with an approval rating of 85% based on 363 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences agreed as they gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale on CinemaScore.

With the arrival of the new blockbuster, Tom Holland's "Uncharted" is pushed aside to No. 2 with an estimated $11 million, far behind this week's champion. Channing Tatum's "Dog" is also down one place to No. 3 with additional $6 million.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is now at No. 4 with approximately $4.4 million for a current domestic haul of $786.5 million. "Death on the Nile" rounds out the top five with an estimated $2.7 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Mar. 04-06, 2022):

1. "The Batman" - $128.5 million
2. "Uncharted" - $11 million
3. "Dog" - $6 million
4. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" - $4.4 million
5. "Death on the Nile" - $2.7 million
6. "Sing 2" - $1.5 million
7. "Jackass Forever" - $1.4 million
8. "Cyrano" - $683,607
9. "Gangubai Kathiawadi" - $592,000
10. "Scream" - $570,000