Newest Batman soars to huge opening in N.American theatres

WARNER Bros' dark new film The Batman has soared to the top in North American theaters to become the year's first film to exceed US$100 million (RM418 million) in its opening weekend, industry analysts said Sunday.

The latest in a growing collection of Batman films – this one a particularly gloomy version, starring English actor Robert Pattinson – took in an estimated US$128.5 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, Exhibitor Relations reported. The movie cost an estimated US$200 million to produce.

Sony's Spider-Man: No Way Home is the only other pandemic-era film to surpass the US$100 million mark in its opening weekend, analysts said. It logged a resounding US$260 million in ticket sales when it opened in December.

The Batman has the Caped Crusader tracking down a serial killer (Paul Dano) while battling crime, corruption – and his own demons. It also stars Zoe Kravitz, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis and Colin Farrell.

Sony adventure film Uncharted, starring Tom Holland as an Indiana Jones-style treasure hunter, slipped from chart-topper to a distant second, taking in US$11 million – even as its domestic total passed US$100 million.

Metro Goldwyn Mayer's buddy comedy Dog placed third, taking in US$6 million. Channing Tatum plays a war-wounded US Army Ranger who agrees to drive Lulu, a dog injured while working with the military in Afghanistan, to her former handler's funeral. 

In fourth was persistently popular Spider-Man, with US$4.4 million in domestic ticket sales in its 12th week out. Its international earnings are now just north of US$1 billion.

And in fifth, down one spot from last week, was 20th Century's murder mystery Death on the Nile, at US$2.7 million. It stars Kenneth Branagh (who also directs) as the quirky Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in this latest take on the 1937 Agatha Christie novel. – AFP, March 7, 2022