Warner Bros. Pictures
"Wonder Woman."
Warner Bros. could have a historic weekend at the box office.The studio finally has a universally acclaimed movie for its still young DC Comics Extended Universe ("Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Suicide Squad") with "Wonder Woman," which opens on Friday.
The movie, with its 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating (as of this writing), has already pulled in $11 million in Thursday night preview screenings domestically, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The studio projects a $95 million opening weekend, but others in the industry think it can surpass the $100 million mark domestically.
With the movie playing on over 4,000 screens, it definitely seems Warner Bros. is going for the gold.
Anticipation for the first female-focused superhero movie to hit the multiplex in years (and we're still trying to forget past efforts like "Elektra" and "Catwoman") may be enough for the movie, starring Gal Gadot as the iconic DC Comics superhero, to soar past projections.
Warner Bros.
(L-R) "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot.
And the movie is coming out at the perfect time as its only competition this weekend is fellow new release "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie," which is catering to the kids audience, alongside holdovers like "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "Baywatch," which didn't impress anyone when they opened to low numbers over Memorial Day weekend.In that landscape, "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins could take over the title of biggest all-time three-day domestic opening for a female director if she can pass Sam Taylor-Johnson's $85.1 million opening for 2015's "Fifty Shades of Grey."
But looking even bigger, if "Wonder Woman" can go past $116.6 million, it would become the biggest opening ever for a superhero movie in June, passing 2013's "Man of Steel." That would also give the film the third-biggest opening ever in June.