'Batman v Superman' Soars to Huge $27.7 Million at Thursday Box Office
by Rebecca Ford, The Hollywood Reporter
The Easter Bunny came early for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Warner Bros.’ superhero face-off film starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill earned a huge $27.7 million Thursday night. Universal’s sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 nabs a solid $1.02 million at late-night shows in 2,395 theaters after showings began at 6 p.m.
Batman v Superman, directed by Zack Snyder, earned the seventh best preview opening in history, besting Avengers: Age Of Ultron’s $27.6 million (Star Wars: The Force Awakens set a new record for previews in December when it took in $57 million). BvS now also holds the highest Thursday preshow score for Easter weekend, besting Furious 7’s $15.8 million. Of its $27.7 million tally, $3.6 million comes from IMAX (which is also their largest Easter preshow number ever).
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The film sees Batman (Affleck) and Superman (Cavill) battling it out as Lex Luther (Jesse Eisenberg) brings to life another deadly threat to the world. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) makes her first appearance ahead of getting her own stand-alone movie.
Man of Steel, which opened in June 2013, earned $9 million Thursday night (plus $12 million from special screenings co-hosted by Walmart and Warners), and went on to earn $116.6 million in its domestic debut. BvS is likely to earn north of $160 million in its domestic debut.
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The superhero film is also opening around the globe Friday, including in China. It opened in 38 additional markets on Thursday, taking in $33.1 million from approximately 19,700 screens, bringing the two day cume to $44 million. The film earned $7 million Wednesday in 10 markets.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which follows up the 2002 original hit, is the only other new release over Easter weekend. The Universal sequel, written by and starring Nia Vardalos, is expected to open in the $10 million-$15 million range. Gold Circle Entertainment and Playtone produced the film.
