In the aftermath of dismal reviews, Justice League has underperformed at the box office in its US debut, with the superhero team-up movie grossing far less than studio Warner Bros had earlier projected. The film grossed $96 million over the three days, against early tracking suggesting it would gross between $110 -$120 million.
It’s also the lowest opening weekend of the Extended DC Universe, comprising of films including Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman, and the first to not clear $100 million in its opening weekend.
Internationally, Justice League grossed $185 million across the three days, with the UK contributing $9.8m of it – a 4% increase on the opening weekend of Thor: Ragnarok three weeks ago. It’s a different story in the US, however, with the Marvel rival clearing $122 million in its opening weekend on the back of strong buzz and glowing reviews.
It has also been suggested that the film will likely experience a significant drop-off in audiences in its second week, mimicking the trajectory of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That movie dropped a steep 69% in its second week at the US box office back in March 2016.
According to Deadline, Justice League will need to ultimately gross $750 million worldwide to break even, with sources telling the site that the film’s production and promotional cost is at least $450 million.
Justice League’s fraught finances have been a matter of concern for several months, after it was revealed Warner Bros had spent $25 million on reshoots which commenced this summer under the guidance of Joss Whedon, who stepped in following the departure of original director Zack Snyder.
Source: The Telegraph
