The Batman—starring Robert Pattinson in his first turn as the brooding crime fighter—flew to a huge $128.5 million in its domestic box office debut to secure the second-best opening of the pandemic era behind 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. (THR / Heat Vision)
The latest installment in the DC Comics franchise is also easily the most successful title of the pandemic for Warner Bros.—which, until now, had been releasing films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. In one weekend, The Batman has earned more money than the studio’s most lucrative hybrid release, Dune, did in its entire run. (LA Times)
At the domestic box office, The Batman benefited from an unorthodox pricing decision by AMC Entertainment, the No. 1 theater chain, and some competitors. In a break from standard practice, they charged about $1 more for standard Batman tickets than for other movies playing at the same theaters at the same time. (NYT)
Combined with a $120 million international start, the global launch is $248.5 million. The international start is the industry’s best for 2022 and the biggest for Warner Bros since Joker in 2019. (Deadline)