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Robert Pattinson's pitch-black superhero
adventure "The Batman" collected a mighty $128.5 million in its
box office debut, marking the best opening weekend of 2022 by a
landslide. But what is more impressive: it's only the second
pandemic-era movie to cross the $100 million mark in a single
weekend, a feat first achieved by "Spider-Man: No Way Home,"
which launched last December to a historic $260 million.
Thanks to positive reviews, strong reception from ticket buyers
and high levels of intrigue to see Pattinson's moody take on the
Caped Crusader, "The Batman" is shaping up to be a commercial
winner for Warner Bros. That's good news because the studio
shelled out a hefty $200 million to produce the film and spent
many millions more in marking and distribution costs. Bringing
Batman to the big screen doesn't come cheap, and achieving
profitability won't be easy.
"The Batman" also likely benefitted because the comic book
adaptation is playing exclusively in theaters. For Warner Bros.,
which opted to debut its entire 2021 theatrical film slate
simultaneously on HBO Max, "The Batman" marks a deviation as the
studio's first movie in over a year that's only available to
watch in cinemas. "The Batman" lands on HBO Max in 45 days.
It's impossible to know the box office impact of putting movies
day-and-date on streaming, but "The Batman" has generated more
money in its opening weekend than any other Warner Bros.
pandemic movies grossed in their entire theatrical runs. Prior
to "The Batman," the studio's highest grossing movies since
March 2020 were "Godzilla vs. Kong" ($100 million in North
America) and "Dune" ($109 million in North America).
Of course, it helps that "The Batman" has the glittery promise
of a former "Twilight" heartthrob playing one of the most famous
comic book characters in history. But there were plenty of
factors that could have worked against a different,
less-embraced version of "The Batman." For one, it clocks in at
three hours, which is a long sit for even the biggest
movie-lover. Not to mention, the logistics of its lengthy
running time meant that theater operators had to limit the
number of screenings per day.
Since "The Batman," directed by Matt Reeves, notched a PG-13
rating rather than R, the film was able to capture the key
demographic of younger males, who have been fueling the domestic
box office's wobbly recovery.
In addition to Pattinson, "The Batman" stars Paul Dano as the
Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Batman's butler
Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as a crime lord known as
Penguin. By focusing on Bruce Wayne's alter ego as "the world's
greatest detective," the movie feels more like a gritty noir
than an escapist superhero adventure. Reviews seemed to be fond
of that approach, since "The Batman" has been praised for
feeling notably distinct from past adventures centered on
Gotham's ferocious defender, like director Christopher Nolan's
revered "The Dark Knight" trilogy or Ben Affleck's brooding,
middle-aged take on the character in "Batman v. Superman.
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. "The Batman," based
on a far more ubiquitous property, beat that benchmark after
earning $57 million on opening day alone. Yet "Uncharted," which
is still playing in theaters, managed to bring in solid business
despite the outsized attention for "The Batman." In second
place, the film pocketed $10 million from 3,875 theaters between
Friday and Sunday, pushing "Uncharted" past $100 million at the
domestic box office.
Channing Tatum's canine adventure "Dog" landed at No. 3 with $6
million from 3,507 theaters. The road-trip buddy comedy
continues to surprise, crossing $40 million in North America
over the weekend. In COVID-19 times, it's a promising result for
a $15 million-budgeted film.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Death on the Nile" took spots
four and five on domestic box office charts.
The third Spidey installment with Holland at the helm brought in
$4.3 million over the weekend, boosting its domestic tally to a
towering $786 million. It's the third weekend in a row that
Holland has been in two of the top four movies at the weekend
box office. In an especially rare feat, "No Way Home" has
managed to stay within the top five on domestic rankings since
the film premiered in December.
Disney and 20th Century's murder mystery "Death on the Nile"
grossed $2.6 million between Friday and Sunday. After four
weekends on the big screen, the movie has earned a so-so $37
million in North America. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who stars
in the movie alongside Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot and Letitia
Wright, "Death on the Nile" cost $90 million to produce.
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