Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiered at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, according to USA Today , and is set to officially open in theaters on Friday, March 25.
Unfortunately, any comic book fanboys anxiously awaiting the first wave of reviews will have to wait just a bit longer, since critics have been put under a strict embargo (critic reviews should be online Monday or Tuesday). However, plenty of Batman and Superman fans were in attendance at the premiere, and were able to tweet their reactions to the film after the screening – and they are overwhelmingly positive.
Minor spoilers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice up ahead**
I haven’t felt this giddy after watching a movie since The Avengers. Goosebumps. Everywhere. Need to talk about it ASAP. #BVSPremiere
— Rodrigo Mariano (@Dragonsfoe) March 21, 2016
And damn Gal Gadot is ? and Ben affleck is the definite batman. Can’t wait for next November. #BVSPremiere
— Rodrigo Mariano (@Dragonsfoe) March 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/StudioPlant007/status/711725906667180033 https://twitter.com/anwarren87/status/711723584692080640
So Ben Affleck is my favorite Batman now.. #BVSPremiere
— Kendell?? (@theKendellB) March 21, 2016
Might be the best superhero movie ever in my book. #BVSPremiere
— Kendell?? (@theKendellB) March 21, 2016
No movie this year will top Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice #BVSPremiere #AMAZED #WOW
— cory montelus (@cmontelus) March 21, 2016
I would just like to say that the only time the entire audience cheered was for WONDER WOMAN. ?????? #BVSPremiere
— Tracy (@TKacz11) March 21, 2016
So, it looks as if Batman v Superman is doing well as far as audience reaction, with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman being singled out as one of the top highlights of the film.
Radio City Music Hall was packed with thousands of people, including some celebrities, such as Will Smith – who is apart of the DC Extended Universe and will be in this summer’s Suicide Squad; Gotham ‘s David Mazouz, comic book writer and illustrator Frank Miller, as well as comedian and actress Aisha Tyler. So far, there hasn’t really been a bad word spoken about the premiere or the superhero film itself.
Don’t be fooled – reaction from the #BVSPremiere is very positive. There are many folks kidnapping the hashtag to spread false negativity. ?
— Ryan (@itsRyanUnicomb) March 21, 2016
“My first reaction (to Gadot) was how statuesque and tall she is,” said BvS star Henry Cavill. “She cuts a really imposing figure. And that really comes across when she plays the character.”
Squad goals. #BVSPremiere pic.twitter.com/ALr8nhWZnV
— Batman v Superman (@BatmanvSuperman) March 20, 2016
“For most of the movie you just meet this mysterious woman; you don’t even know her name,” according to Dawn of Justice producer Charles Roven. “And then she’s revealed to be who she is and it’s one of the great moments of the movie, I’m excited about it.”
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice apparently had a budget of nearly $250 million, and Warner Bros. is expecting the superhero juggernaut to gross at least $1 billion worldwide. With a film of this magnitude, that expectation is more than fair.
The early reviews of Batman v Superman seem to be more positive than Man of Steel – which only grossed $668 million worldwide in 2013 – and this movie serves as the introduction of Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman and Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. It certainly has a lot more going for it than MoS did, which should guarantee that it will at least outgross Man of Steel on its opening weekend.
“I made a movie called Watchmen a few years ago,” director Zack Snyder said. “It’s an ensemble movie about a group of superheroes and I kind of felt like I had a little bit of an idea how to do that. And not to say that it’s a repeat, but just as far as preparing I kind of had an idea how to do that.”
Watchmen was the 2009 film adaptation of Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel of the same name, dealing with a cast of six as the lead characters. Snyder is slated to direct The Justice League Part One , which will begin filming in April and will include Gadot, Cavill and Affleck, along with Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash, Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg and Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.
Momoa, Miller and Fisher are said to have roles in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , and will help establish each character’s solo film later in the future of the DC Extended Universe. Even classic Batman villains like the Riddler and the Joker were incredibly close to being in Batman v Superman , according to Snyder. Though Jared Leto’s Joker will have a large role in Suicide Squad .
After a weekend of devouring the second season of Marvel/Netflix’s Daredevil , Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be the icing on the cake of March, 2016, for comic book nerds and geeks everywhere. Roven says that they tried to make a film for everyone. One that could appeal to comic book fans and non-comic book fans alike. Here’s hoping that Batman and Superman finally sharing the screen together does just that.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on Friday, March 25.
[Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Images]