'Man of Steel' Takes Flight With $125M Debut
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Man of Steel" leaped over box office expectations in a single weekend.
The Warner Bros. superhero film earned $113 million in its opening weekend at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. The retelling of Superman's backstory earned an additional $12 million from Thursday screenings, bringing its domestic total to $125 million. Original expectations for "Man of Steel" ranged from $75 million to $130 million.
"They finally got the Superman formula right," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "Superhero movies really are the bread and butter of the summer box office. The fact that 'Iron Man 3' has the biggest opening of the year so far and 'Man of Steel' has the second biggest opening of the year just proves that."
"Man of Steel," which stars Henry Cavill as Superman and Amy Adams as Lois Lane, also toppled the record for biggest opening in June held by the Disney-Pixar film "Toy Story 3," which banked $110 million when it opened in 2010. "Superman Returns," the previous Superman film starring Brandon Routh in the titular role, launched with a respectable $52.5 million in 2006.
Sony's "This Is the End" opened in second place behind "Man of Steel" with $20.5 million in its opening weekend. The comedy starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson as versions of themselves trapped in a mansion during the apocalypse opened Wednesday, earning a domestic total of $32.8 million. The film cost just $32 million to produce.
"We knew we were going to have competition, but we felt our movie stood on its own and had its own voice," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "I believe we've absolutely proven that. To have this amount of money in the bank with its cost of production, good reviews and word of mouth really puts our feet on solid ground."
In its third weekend at the box office, the Lionsgate illusionist heist film "Now You See Me" fleeced $10.3 million in third place, bringing its total domestic haul to $80 million. Universal's "Fast & Furious 6" arrived in fourth place with $9.4 million, while the studio's invasion horror film "The Purge" starring Ethan Hawke scared up $8.2 million in the fifth spot.
The super openings of "Man of Steel" and "This Is the End" helped to lift the box office 50 percent over last year when "Madagascar 3" and "Prometheus" held on to the top spots. "Man of Steel" will face off against stiff competition next week when Paramount's zombie thriller "World War Z" and the Disney-Pixar's prequel "Monster's University" both debut.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. "Man of Steel," $113 million.
2. "This Is the End," $20.5 million.
3. "Now You See Me," $10.3 million.
4. "Fast & Furious 6," $9.4 million.
5. "The Purge," $8.2 million.
6. "The Internship," $7 million.
7. "Epic," $6 million.
8. "Star Trek: Into Darkness," $5.6 million.
9. "After Earth," $3.7 million.
10. "Iron Man 3," $2.9 million.
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