Faster than a speeding bullet, Warner Bros.’ $225 million franchise reboot Man of Steel has become a box office behemoth.
The superhero film began its run with a massive $125.1 million ($113.1 million over the traditional weekend, $12 million from corporate screening programs on Thursday), breaking the record for the biggest June opening weekend ever, ahead of Toy Story 3’s $110.3 million bow in 2010. Among 2013 films, Man of Steel had the second best debut of the year behind Iron Man 3, which started with $174.1 million in May.
Man of Steel garnered a fantastic $29,731 per theater average from its 4,207 locations. The film grossed $13.3 million in IMAX theaters, and 41% of its business came from 3D ticket sales. Audiences were 56 percent male and 44 percent female, a more even gender distribution than Iron Man 3, which had a 61/39 percent male/female split on opening weekend. The dashing looks of Henry Cavill (and Amy Adams’ appeal) no doubt helped Man of Steel play well with women. Reviews were mixed, but crowds issued the film a strong “A-” CinemaScore.
For Cavill, Adams, and the rest of the cast — which includes Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Shannon — Man of Steel became their best ever opening weekend. The same goes for director Zack Snyder, who formerly saw gigantic numbers when 300 bowed with $70.9 million in 2007.
Read More: cnn.com
