Early The Batman box-office projections suggest it could have the biggest opening of any Batman movie ever. The upcoming movie is directed by Matt Reeves and stars Robert Pattinson as a new version of the Caped Crusader that exists independently from the larger DC Extended Universe. After experiencing extensive pandemic-related production delays, The Batman is finally set to release on March 4.
As with most major comic book properties, Batman has had plenty of success at the box office, with fans often lining up to see the latest installment of whatever series he is appearing in at the time. Only three, however, have had opening weekends of over $100 million domestically, the highest of which overall is Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice's $166 million. Gotham's protector is a major draw even without Superman, though, and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises sits just behind it at $160 million.
Now, according to projections by Box Office Pro, Reeves' movie could be on track to set a new franchise record. Taking multiple factors into account, including The Batman's lengthy runtime that could discourage potential viewers, the Warner Bros. film is expected to open anywhere from $135-$185 million. The lower end of that range would still place it easily in the top-5 all-time for Batman projects, but according to industry experts, beating out the current #1 by up to $20 million in ticket sales is not out of reach for the Pattinson superhero vehicle.
The studio will certainly be pleased with these projections, and not only because blockbusters have struggled to score big wins at the pandemic-era box office. Though it stands apart from the DCEU, WB intends to make a new, shared universe out of The Batman and its characters, planning for sequel films as well as spinoff HBO Max series. Two of the latter are already in the works: one centered on Colin Farrell's villain Penguin, who appears in a minor capacity in The Batman; and a GCPD police procedural covering the Dark Knight's first year of crime-fighting.
These financial projections are certainly indicative of high fan anticipation for The Batman, as the only movie to crack the $100 million barrier in all of 2021 was Spider-Man: No Way Home, the hype for which was uncommonly massive. There are certainly reasons to be excited by Reeves' new take on the classic superhero, with trailers indicating a dark but stylized tone that doesn't push away from the unreality of its source material. Only time will tell, but if COVID-19 doesn't come roaring back to spoil its March release, The Batman could be headed for resounding success.
Source: Box Office Pro
