Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the movie that everyone saw and few actually liked, seems to have lost its luster after just one week in theaters. The film grossed just $51.8 million in its second weekend, a 69 percent drop from its tremendously successful opening weekend.
Even with that seemingly disastrous drop, Batman v. Superman has grossed $683.4 million worldwide, more than the Man of Steel in its entire box office run. The film also set a new record for the best film opening in March. Warner Bros. said the steep drop was acceptable, and reminded analysts that the film’s debut weekend numbers were based on a four-day opening.
“We’re not concerned with the drop,” said Warner Bros. VP Jeff Goldstein. “No matter how you slice it, to get to $52 million on any given weekend is an enormous accomplishment. We’re most focused on where we are in total. And our global number is huge.”
Analysts reportedly have mixed feelings about the drop. On the one hand, some experts believe that fan-driven flicks like comic book movies should generally expect steeper than average drops because fans rush out to theaters. Others cited the lack of new competition last weekend as a damning sign that the overwhelmingly negative word of mouth may have taken its toll.