Mumbai: Actor Robert Pattinson’s childhood dream of playing Batman turned into box office success and a dream-come-true for Warner Bros as "The Batman" packed a punch, exceeding expectations and grossing $128.5 million domestically in its opening weekend. It was the best opening weekend for a film since Sony Picture Entertainment’s "Spider-Man: No Way Home" earned $260.1 million in its December debut, according to box office tracker, Comscore.
The opening also served as a signal light of hope that moviegoers are eager for a return to theatres. Warner Bros has reportedly committed to a 45-day window of exclusivity in theatres. Following that 45-day period, "The Batman" will hit HBO Max for streaming.
Internationally, "The Batman" loomed large collecting $120 million in box office receipts in 74 overseas markets. The film had the best turnout in the United Kingdom, where it earned $18.4 million, followed by Mexico, where it earned $12 million. Other top territories include Australia ($9.2 million), Brazil ($8.8 million), France ($8.5 million), Germany ($5.1 million) and Korea ($4.4 million). The Batman doesn’t open in China, which is currently the world’s biggest theatrical market, until 18 March. It won’t play at all in Russia after Warner Bros opted to pull its release following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
In India, "The Batman" opened on 4 March to enthusiastic audiences and, according to BoxOfficeIndia, the film has raked in Rs 7.5 crore net on the second day of its release. Now, the total collection of the film in India is Rs 14 crore. The film is doing well in the metro cities and with Maharashtra allowing cinema halls at 100 per cent occupancy, this has boosted the collections.
The dark take on the character, in which Batman investigates corruption in Gotham following the murders of several of the city’s prominent figures by the sadistic serial killer, the Riddler, has earned positive reviews. Variety’s Peter Debruge naming it a critic’s pick and writing that the “grounded, frequently brutal and nearly three-hour film noir registers among the best of the genre, even if, or more aptly because of its willingness to dismantle and interrogate the very concept of superheroes.”
Audiences are also being extremely receptive, with the film scoring an 'A-' CinemaScore, indicating strong approval from general ticket buyers. In addition, critics have praised Robert Pattinson for his fresh/gritty interpretation of the character.
Pattinson, who rose to global fame with the Twilight movies, follows in the footsteps of Adam West, Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale and, more recently, Ben Affleck, among others, to play Bruce Wayne/Batman. Zoë Kravitz, who plays Catwoman was also singled out for critical commendation. Directed by Matt Reeves, "The Batman" also stars Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis and Paul Dano.
As reported in Variety, domestic audience demographics revealed a heavily male crowd for "The Batman" at 67 per cent, with the 18-34 crowd at 62 per cent, per PostTrak. Diversity draw was 41 per cent Caucasian, 26 per cent Latino and Hispanic, 17 per cent Black, and 16 per cent Asian/other.
Other CinemaScore audience diagnostics are showing males at 65 per cent, giving the movie an A-, females a B+ at 35 per cent. Those over 35 factored at 31 per cent of the crowd, while those over 50 showed up at 11 per cent. A- grades largely throughout all demos.
Prior to this weekend, Tom Holland’s video game adaptation "Uncharted" held the title for the biggest opening weekend of the year with $44 million in initial sales. Now in second place, the Sony Pictures film pocketed $11 million from 3,875 theaters between Friday and Sunday, pushing "Uncharted" past $100 million at the domestic box office. Overseas, the PG-13 “Uncharted” added another $17.4 million from 64 foreign markets. Those revenues take the film to $171.3 million internationally and $271.5 million globally.
Elsewhere, Channing Tatum’s canine adventure "Dog" landed in third position with $ six million from 3,507 theaters. The road-trip buddy comedy is somewhat of an anomaly because it has managed to entice audiences without involving superheroes or intense CG-action sequences. "Dog" continues to surprise at the box office, crossing $40 million in North America over the weekend.
Holdovers "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Death on the Nile" took spots four and five on domestic box office charts.
