TheJustice Leaguemay have been able to save the world, but they were not able to meet their box office expectations, earning the least amount of money out of all of theDCEU moviesreleased thus far. It’s weird to say a movie opening with $96 million is a failure, but in terms of how much money was pumped into the project along with comparisons to the previous 3 movies,Justice Leaguedid not live up to its hype. However, the movie did have a huge opening overseas of $185 million led by China, so hope is not completely lost forJustice League.
Studios on Sunday estimate that the enormously expensivelyJustice Leaguewill earn $96 million from 4,051 theaters. It is well below its modest$110 million estimatesand pales in comparison to the $166 million launch ofBatman v Supermanin early 2016. Both movies were similarly panned by critics, but still earned number one spots at the box office and have the backing of fans.Justice Leagueis launching with only the eighth largest opening of 2017 and it’s not even in the top 50 domestic openings of all time, ranking 53rd behindFast and Furious 6.
Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguehad been on track for an opening weekend of $110 million since last month. Stakes are particularly high for Warner Bros., which hasn’t revealed the cost of the movie, but it is estimated to be as much as $300 million. The movie is the fifth installment of its DC Extended Universe, aimed at duplicating the success of Disney and Marvel’s MCU franchises. And it’s by far the lowest launch for the DCEU, trailingBatman v Superman($166 million),Suicide Squad($133 million),Man of Steel($116 million), andWonder Woman($103 million).
While it’s looking likeJustice Leagueis a financial flop, it’s pretty early to call it a flat-out disaster just yet. It’s looking like a nearly $300 million dollar worldwide opening for its first 3 days, which is nothing to sneeze at. It could end up hurting the future of the plethora of DC movies that Warner Bros. currently has in various stages of development. It has been rumored that the success ofJustice Leaguewould have a significant effect on thefuture of the DCEU, which includes theFlashpointmovie as well as the upcoming sequel toSuicide SquadandJoker and Harley Quinnmovie.
Justice Leaguehad a very public difficult birth, which may have had a negative impact on its box office earnings. Many DC loyalists are angry and think that Zack Snyder’s vision was not seen through whenJoss Whedon took over the project. Others feel burned by the quality of the movies and don’t take comfort when reviews say that it’s slightly better thanBatman v Superman. Regardless, it’s not exactly over forJustice Leaguewith the holiday weekend coming up and the continuing success overseas. You can read more about this weekend’s box office numbers viaVariety.
