Man of Steel topped the weekend box office, breaking a June record in the process.
Director Zack Snyder’s reboot of the legendary comic book character earned an estimated $113 million over the weekend. When combined with Thursday evening’s totals, the Superman flick brought home around $125 million. The movie now has the best June opening in history, breaking the previous $110 million record set by Disney’s Toy Story 3 .
Hollywood analysts originally believed Man of Steel would land somewhere around the $90 million mark. More generous estimates put the flick’s total about $100 million. Warner Bros. decided to keep expectations a little lower; the studio predicted Snyder’s reboot would make approximately $80 million on opening weekend.
Man of Steel got the ball rolling early with $44 million in ticket sales on Friday. Saturday’s numbers weren’t too bad, either; audiences spent an estimated $36.3 million to see what all the fuss was about. While Sunday’s figures aren’t nearly as strong, the film is expected to generate around $32.7 million in receipts.
According to Deadline , Warner Bros. said Superman’s latest cinematic adventure is proving popular in foreign markets as well. The studio predicts Man of Steel will bring in around $71.6 million overseas. The movie opened in 9,710 theaters in a total of 24 different markets.
Snyder’s movie managed to make this tidy sum of money despite receiving quite a few negative reviews. Although its Rotten Tomatoes score stands at 56 percent, moviegoers seemed to enjoy the flick. The audience score is currently a healthy 82 percent.
Warner Bros. isn’t the only studio with a certified hit on their hands. The raunchy R-rated comedy This is the End made an estimated $20.5 million at the box office this weekend. Since opening on Wednesday, the film has earned around $32.8 million. On a budget of $32 million, that’s not too bad at all.
Last week’s number one movie, the low-budget horror flick The Purge , dropped off considerably following its strong debut. The film earned around $8 million this weekend, which is still more than what Universal spent to make the flick. Not surprisingly, the studio is already moving forward with a sequel .
You can find this weekend’s top 10 films and their estimated totals below.
1. Man of Steel – $113 million 2. This is the End – $20.5 million 3. Now You See Me – $10 million 4. Fast & Furious 6 – $9.4 million 5. The Purge – $8,2 million 6. The Internship – $7 million 7. Epic – $6 million 8. Star Trek Into Darkness – $5.6 million 9. After Earth – $3.7 million 10. Iron Man 3 – $2.9 million
Did you catch Man of Steel in theaters over the weekend? What did you think about Zack Synder’s reboot?
