Warner Bros. film “The Batman” earned $128.5 million U.S. in ticket sales over the weekend, coming in above analyst expectations of $110 million U.S.
The latest movie in the Batman film franchise had the second-highest domestic opening of the pandemic era box office.
The Batman is only the second film released after March 2020 to see opening weekend ticket sales of more than $100 million U.S. “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” was the first, generating $260 million U.S. during its domestic debut last December.
Franchise-based films, particularly those based on comic book characters, have been some of the few to generate significant gains at the box office during the pandemic. Movie theaters have seen families with young children and adults over age 50 be more reluctant to return to cinemas.
Box office analysts expected “The Batman” to draw fewer moviegoers compared to “No Way Home” because of its darker, more mature themes and PG-13 rating. The film will likely benefit from repeat viewings in the coming weeks, say analysts.
