By comparison, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, which opened in March, launched with a $27.7 million Thursday.
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Universal’s newest Bourne film collected nearly $6.6 million on Friday, bringing its estimated eight-day gross to just under $87.3 million.
The current record for an August opening weekend belongs to another group of comic book outlaws, Disney and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy”, which opened at $94.3 million in 2014.
The film took an estimated $20.5 million (£15.7 million) in Thursday preview showings in the U.S., a record for an August opening, according to studio estimates on Friday.
“Suicide Squad” also was better received by moviegoers 34 and younger, who made up 76% of the audience and gave it an A-minus. The studio has scheduled nine more DC films through 2020, including the 2017 release “Wonder Woman” with Gal Gadot, who won praise for her portrayal of the female superhero in “Batman v Superman”. But as Boxoffice.com senior analyst Shawn Robbins points out, reviews may not matter to the film’s box office.
Having said that, there are some good things going on in the first act when we’re introduced to the gang of misfits in ways that suggest writer/director David Ayer (Fury) is at least trying to implement a fresh approach.
“It’s an extraordinary weekend when you look at the fact that the domestic box office has never had a $200 million weekend in August”, said Jeff Goldstein, head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. “But word of mouth spreads instantly across social media”.
The baddies of “Suicide Squad” are getting pummeled by critics, but they’re fighting back at the box office. Foreign markets accounted for 62 percent of sales for “Batman v Superman”, which went on to gross $872.6 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
“Each film counts and there are no throw-aways in this genre”, Dergarabedian said.
Despite its bad reviews, “Suicide Squad” has a lot working in its favor.
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Leto has taken over the iconic role in the latest DC Comic movie, which has hit the big screen this weekend. “Once maligned and marginalized and now recognized for its flashes of genius August has produced some of the coolest movies of any given summer”. Weekend forecasts for the film ranged from a low of $126.7 million at Hollywood Stock Exchange to $145 million at Box Office Mojo, another researcher.
