Wonder Woman saves box office
LOS ANGELES — After the worst Memorial Day weekend performance in 18 years, the summer box office needed a hero — or more specifically, a heroine. Thankfully, Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated Wonder Woman came to the rescue, as only a wondrous woman can.
The DC Comics film adaptation starring Gal Gadot in the title role grossed an estimated $103.2 million in the United States and Canada in its debut weekend, well above analyst projections of $80 million to $90 million, as well as the studio’s more modest expectations of $65 million to $70 million. Internationally, the picture pulled $122.5 million.
With those numbers, Wonder Woman can now claim the official title as the first female-fronted superhero blockbuster.
Wonder Woman, aka Diana, princess of the Amazons, has spent 75 years saving the world in DC comic books and TV shows. She fought alongside Batman and Superman with her sword and Lasso of Truth last year in the dismal Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Until now, her male counterparts have hogged most of the big-screen glory.
Compared with other superhero flicks, Wonder Woman’s $103 million outranks the domestic openings of Iron Man ($98.6 million), Doctor Strange ($85 million) and Thor ($65.7 million).
It got a 93 percent positive rating on critic site Rotten Tomatoes and audiences gave the picture an A CinemaScore.
Fans will get their next glimpse of the heroine in November, when she joins forces with her male counterparts in Justice League.
While most eyes were on Wonder Woman last weekend, the other major release, DreamWorks Animation’s Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, was also noteworthy. The film landed in second place, pulling in about $24 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, beating analysts’ modest projections of $20 million.
The PG-13 rated Captain Underpants brings the anarchic adventure and unbridled potty humor of author Dav Pilkey’s beloved children’s book series — which for 20 years has sent countless elementary-school-age kids into fits of giggles and a few easily offended adults into fits of pique — to movie screens for the first time. The formidable voice cast includes Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Ed Helms and Nick Kroll.
Audiences and critics appear equally pleased with the film. It received a B-plus CinemaScore from moviegoers (80 percent families) and has an 86 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rounding out the rest of the top five at the box office were holdovers.
Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales landed in third in its second week with $22 million, a 66 percent drop from its opening week. The fifth Pirates retread has grossed $115 million domestically to date. Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 landed in fourth place in its fifth week with about $10 million. It has pulled $355.5 million domestically since its release.
Landing in the fifth spot in its second week was Paramount’s Baywatch rehash with $8.7 million, a 54 percent drop week to week. The film, panned by critics, has grossed about $42 million domestically.