LOS ANGELES – Man of Steel leaped over box office expectations in a single weekend.
The 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 box-office expectations for Man of Steel ranged from $75 million to $130 million.
Man of Steel, which stars Henry Cavill as Superman and Amy Adams as Lois Lane, also nabbed the record for June’s biggest opening away from Toy Story 3, the Disney-Pixar film which banked $110.3 million when it opened in 2010. Superman Returns, the previous Superman film starring Brandon Routh in the titular role, launched with $52.5 million in 2006.
The new take on Superman’s origin also performed solidly overseas, earning $71.6 million from 24 territories, including the Philippines, India, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, where Man of Steel earned $17.1 million. The film, which also stars Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon, is set to open next weekend in 27 more territories, such as Russia and China.
This Is the End debuted in second place in North America behind Man of Steel with $20.5 million in its opening weekend. The comedy starring Canadians Seth Rogen, Michael Cera and Jay Baruchel as versions of themselves trapped in James Franco’s mansion during the apocalypse opened Wednesday, earning a domestic total of $32.8 million. The film cost just $32 million to produce.
In its third weekend at the box office, the 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 per cent 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 the zombie thriller World War Z and the prequel Monsters University both debut.
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