Despite Critics, ‘Batman v Superman’ Headed for Record $170 Million Domestic Debut

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Warner Bros.

Despite facing a near-nonstop barrage of criticism, director Zack Snyder’s hero epic Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is on pace to clear over $172 million in North America in its opening weekend.

In fact, Batman v Superman is flying full-speed ahead toward a solid 4th place in all-time openings for a comic book adaptation in the U.S. All this in the face of cinematic critics’ nitpicking that has been in full bloom.

“No major blockbuster in years has been this incoherently structured,” is how The Telegraph‘s Robbie Collin critiqued the Warner Bros. flagship superhero film.

Likewise, Forbes film critic Scott Mendelson called Batman v Superman a “beautiful disaster” that “will hurt your brain,” while Time writer Kate Muir said, “This superhero-smorgasbord directed by Zack Snyder melts into an electric soup of CGI.”

Indeed, the Batman v Superman bashing seemed ceaseless, save for a few positive reviews.

Nevertheless, the D.C. Cinematic Universe-setting film is currently on track to beat out D.C. Entertainment’s former number one bestselling film, The Dark Knight Rises (debuted to $160.9 million).

Man of Steel, also directed by Zack Snyder, raked in $116.6 million in its domestic debut in June 2013.

Batman v Superman sees a powerful U.S. senator (Holly Hunter), who wields the long arm of the American government to resolve the ongoing calamity around the costly and deadly ramifications of Superman’s (Henry Cavill) heroism.

Stopping short of calling it an “overtly political” movie, Ben Affleck (Batman/Bruce Wayne) says Batman v Superman does, however, “does raise a question of, ‘What happens to us when we become afraid of one another?'”

Batman v Superman is meant to set the stage for D.C. Entertainment’s 2017 release of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), among other feature films.

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson

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