‘Man Of Steel’ Tops Weekend Box Office, Breaks June Record

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?