Analysts predicted a pretty sharp drop for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on its second weekend, but nothing as sharp as this.
According to data gathered from BoxOfficeMojo.com, the Warner Bros. tentpole has dropped a whopping 81.2% in US box-office earnings in the space of a single weekend, totalling a drop from $81,558,505 on its opening day to just $15,350,000 the Friday after release. Deadline, meanwhile, reports that the film has fallen by 70% in earnings. Either way, it's not good.
To date, the film has grossed $224,422,793 at the US box-office whilst the global earnings are now on track to surpass $600 million in the upcoming days and weeks ahead. The drop in box-office earnings is most likely attributed to word-of-mouth corroborating the mostly negative reviews from critics, as the film scored a meagre 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
For the record, we thought it was just OK. Just... OK.
The drop in box-office figures for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is on par with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which dropped off by 69% during its run and is considered to be the worst of the X-Men franchise.
It's unclear what these figures mean for the future of the DC Comics Universe and, more specifically, Zack Snyder. Already, fans have launched a petition to have Snyder thrown off as director of the impending Justice League movie, whilst Ben Affleck has reportedly completed a script for a standalone Batman movie.
As reported by many analysts, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has to reach $800-900 million before it can be considered a success. The drop in earnings is also worrying in that there were no tentpole / blockbuster competitors lined up against it on its second weekend, meaning the drop is of its own making.
If the drop continues on into its third week, it's entirely possible that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice won't reach the figure it needs.
