‘The Batman’ Earns Second Best Pandemic Era Opening With $128.5 Million at Box Office (UPDATE)

UPDATED 3/13, 9:25 p.m. ET: The Batman is closing in on $500 million worldwide, Variety reports. With a global box office sum of $463 million, the Robert Pattinson-led film is set to eclipse a mark reached by only four films during the pandemic: Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die, F9: The Fast Saga, and Venom: Let There be Carnage. It was the No. 1 movie in Japan, Mexico, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

The Batman also finished atop the domestic box office once again, earning $66 domestically, and pushing its overall domestic box office total to $238.5 million.

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The Batman earned $128.5 million at the domestic box office this weekend, making it the biggest debut of 2022 and the second-largest launch in the pandemic era, behind only Spider-Man: No Way Home, which opened to a staggering $253 million in December, Varietyreports.

The Robert Pattinson-led film amassed an additional $120 million overseas, pushing its worldwide haul to nearly $250 million.

The Batman marks the first film from Warner Bros. in some time to not have a day-and-date release that was publicly panned by Christopher Nolan. Instead, The Batman will be subjected to a 45-day theatrical window as part of a deal struck by the studio and AMC Theaters in August.

Prior to The Batman, the highest-earning domestic films for Warner Bros. in the pandemic era were Dune ($109 million), followed by Godzilla vs. Kong ($100 million).

Variety notes The Batman’s debut box office success has been driven by the younger male demographic which was aided by the film’s PG-13 rating. More than 65 percent of the movie’s audience was male and over 60 percent between the ages of 18 and 34. Another element that has helped propel the film was its positive reviews. The Batman has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 85 percent, with an audience score currently sitting at 90 percent.

“It’s fun to see the public really embrace the movie,” Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros, said. “Since the movie is three hours long, it became appointment viewing. That bodes well for its run on the big screen. It helps that the word of mouth is so strong.”

Check out Complex’s review of The Batman here.