Wonder Woman is currently on track to deliver a $95 million opening at the domestic box office. With preview night screenings on the way later this evening, the Patty Jenkins directed movie starring Gal Gadot as the titular Amazonian warrior is the latest installment in the DC Extended Universe from chief distributor Warner Bros. Pictures, and is already being praised in early reviews by critics with a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Per the latest reports, the new movie is set to bring in over $175 million over the course of its global debut, meaning that Wonder Woman is expected to have an appeal that reaches far beyond the borders of an exclusively American audience. Following word from the likes of Lynda Carter - who previously played Diana Prince on TV throughout the 1970s - that Jenkins' film provides for a, "new way to empower women," and co-star Robin Wright praising the movie's focus on, "equality and justice," the latest DCEU feature certainly appears to be headed for an impressive opening domestically speaking - and the latest numbers confirm just that.
According to THR, Jenkins and Gadot are headed for a domestic opening that is projected to generate upwards of $95 million in ticket sales at the U.S. box office alone. With its only other direct competition coming in the form of fellow newcomer Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie - an animated film from DreamWorks Animation that is geared towards children and is expected to debut to the tune of $25 million on a more modest $38 million budget - Jenkins and Gadot should have a relatively easy time of it when it comes to drawing a crowd.
With international audiences also seeing the release of the new film at the same time - most crucially including the powerhouse international market that is China - the movie is expected to make well over $100 million internationally on its $150 million budget. Even by conservative estimates that have Wonder Woman clocking in at $65 to $70 million domestically, the DCEU feature is more likely than not to make back the cost of production over the weekend.
Jenkins and Gadot have surmounted one of the biggest obstacles presented by the contemporary entertainment industry in their production of a superhero movie that is female-centric and directed by a woman. On that note, here's to hoping that Wonder Woman outperforms even the wildest of expectations and sets a precedent going forward for more tentpole productions helmed by women.
MORE: Read Screen Rant's Wonder Woman Review
Source: THR
