'Batman v Superman' Record Box Office Powered by Fanboys, Disappointed Audiences
The movie that brought us sad Ben Affleck rocked the box office, thanks to the dedication of DC fanboys.
This weekend, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice owes its $420 million in earnings worldwide to the dedication of its loyal DC fanboys (some girls). The flick actually broke domestic box office numbers for the month of March, becoming one of Warner Bros.’ largest hits ever.
Superman truly did save the day, even if he’s sitting right next to sad Ben “Batman” Affleck. Fans flocked to rubberneck this flick, which is largely considered a train wreck. And they definitely weren’t all impressed.
Director Zach Snyder’s attempt to give fans all that they could ever want was ultimately the film’s downfall. But spoiling an audience works sometimes. Like in this case, where it rocked North American box office records, making it the six most successful grossing film of all-time and number one for a film featuring superheros. It decimated two generations of The Avengers and Iron-Man 3.
Proof that fanboys were the largest group drawn to theaters was evidenced by exit service ComScore’s PostTrak. It found that 66 percent of the audience was male, most of whom were between the ages of 18 and 34. Exit polls by Warners’ found the number closer to 62 percent.
The film was heavily promoted in China where it gathered $57.3 million. And speaking of spoiling, the numbers aren’t too much of a surprise considering the level of marketing money thrown at this film. You can lap up Cold Stone ice cream flavors like Kryptonian Cake Sensation and wash it down with Batman V Superman Dr. Pepper. Turkish Airlines even designed its menu to honor the film.
Warner Bros. really pulled out all the stops to get fanboys into seats this weekend to witness all the drama a dawn of justice might have to offer, and their pandering was not wasted.
