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Update 2: Warner Bros. own figures say the film came in at $166.1 million, under earlier projections of $170.1 million but still a record for any film's debut in March.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, widely panned by critics in its opening week, is redeeming itself at the box office. Even giving reviewers a two-day head start to jeer before audiences could see it, the superhero flick still looks to bring in more than $170 million in its first weekend, reports Variety.
That's well more than half of the movie's $250 million budget, which means even if it's submerged by a 29 percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Batman v Superman should end up being a big success for Warner Bros.
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The $170 million projection would mean BvS ends up somewhere around fifth place on the continually revised list of opening weekends in domestic markets. Star Wars: The Force Awakens set the record in November with a $248 million debut; that broke Jurassic World's $209 million, a mark that lasted all of five months.
The movie also set some esoteric records, such as biggest Thursday pre-show on an Easter weekend. It'll probably beat 2012's The Hunger Games for the biggest debut in March, which is not traditionally a blockbuster month.
Should Batman v Superman get your dollar? Justin McElroy says it doesn't have to. Our review says it shouldn't.
