Justice League disappoints with $96 million opening

LOS ANGELES — Only in the modern era of superhero films could a $96 million opening weekend be considered anything less than impressive, but that’s the situation Warner Bros. and DC’s “Justice League” is in.

The big-budget superhero mashup came in well-under expectations, which had pegged it for a $110 million US launch in North American theatres. If studio estimates hold it will also have the dubious distinction of being the lowest opening film in the DC Extended Universe.

It has been a roller-coaster for the DC Universe since “Man of Steel” kicked off the comic book franchise in 2013, with films battling high expectations, critical reviews and the impossible standard of competing against the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” may have been a critical dud in early 2016, but it still opened to $166 million and went on to net $873.3 million worldwide by the end of its run.

“Justice League” comes on the heels of the widely wellreceived “Wonder Woman,” the first DCEU film to score with both critics and audiences, and reunites Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman to fight a new threat facing earth while introducing new characters like Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. “Justice League” didn’t impress critics, but neither did “Batman v Superman” or “Suicide Squad,” which still managed to earn $133.7 million out of the gates.

Warner Bros. is remaining optimistic about “Justice League’s” prospects, even with the lower-than-expected launch against a production budget that’s reported to be in the $250-$300 million range (which doesn’t include marketing expenses).

“I did have a higher expectation for the three days,” said Jeff Goldstein, who heads up domestic distribution for Warner Bros. “(But) this is a big vacation week and we have an opportunity to get a big audience to see us in a different pattern.”

One film that did have a heroic showing this weekend is “Wonder,” an adaptation of R.J. Palacio’s novel about a child with a facial deformity that stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay. The family-friendly drama opened in second place with $27.1 million against a $20 million production budget and could be on its way to becoming a sleeper hit. Lionsgate distributed the film, which was financed and produced by Participant Media. Disney and Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok” fell to third place with $21.8 million, bringing its North American total to $247.4 million.