LOS ANGELES -- After the worst Memorial Day weekend performance in 18 years, the summer box office needed a hero -- or more specifically, a heroine. Thankfully, Warner Bros.' highly anticipated Wonder Woman came to the rescue, as only a wondrous woman can.
The DC Comics film adaptation starring Gal Gadot in the title role grossed an estimated $103.2 million in the United States and Canada in its debut weekend, well above analyst projections of $80 million to $90 million, as well as the studio's more modest expectations of $65 million to $70 million. Internationally, the picture pulled $122.5 million.
With those numbers, Wonder Woman can now claim the official title as the first female-fronted superhero blockbuster.
"Here you have a property that has really resonated with audiences all around the world," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' distribution chief. "There is something special about Gal Gadot, but something timely about Wonder Woman. She is a character that just has been embraced worldwide."
Wonder Woman, aka Diana, princess of the Amazons, has spent 75 years saving the world in DC comic books and TV shows. She fought alongside Batman and Superman with her sword and Lasso of Truth last year in the dismal Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Until now, her male counterparts have hogged most of the big-screen glory.
Compared with other superhero flicks, Wonder Woman's $103 million outranks the domestic openings of Iron Man ($98.6 million), Doctor Strange ($85 million) and Thor ($65.7 million).
Overwhelmingly positive reviews -- 93 percent positive rating on critic site Rotten Tomatoes -- persuaded Sarah Montoya, 30, a doctoral student in the gender studies program at UCLA, to brave the Saturday crowds at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood.
Audiences gave the picture an A CinemaScore.
Fans will get their next glimpse of the heroine in November, when she joins forces with her male counterparts in Justice League.
While most eyes were on Wonder Woman last weekend, the other major release, DreamWorks Animation's Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, was also noteworthy. The film landed in second place, pulling in about $24 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, beating analysts' modest projections of $20 million.
The PG-13 rated Captain Underpants brings the anarchic adventure and unbridled potty humor of author Dav Pilkey's beloved children's book series -- which for 20 years has sent countless elementary-school-age kids into fits of giggles and a few easily offended adults into fits of pique -- to movie screens for the first time. The formidable voice cast includes Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Ed Helms and Nick Kroll.
Audiences and critics appear equally pleased with the film. It received a B-plus CinemaScore from moviegoers (80 percent families) and has an 86 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rounding out the rest of the top five at the box office were holdovers.
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales landed in third in its second week with $22 million, a 66 percent drop from its opening week. The fifth Pirates retread has grossed $115 million domestically to date. Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 landed in fourth place in its fifth week with about $10 million. It has pulled $355.5 million domestically since its release.
Landing in the fifth spot in its second week was Paramount's Baywatch rehash with $8.7 million, a 54 percent drop week to week. The film, panned by critics, has grossed about $42 million domestically.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:
1.Wonder Woman, Warner Bros., $103,251,471, 4,165 locations, $24,790 average, $103,251,471, one week.
2.Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, 20th Century Fox, $23,851,539, 3,434 locations, $6,946 average, $23,851,539, one week.
3.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Disney, $22,087,099, 4,276 locations, $5,165 average, $115,095,870, two weeks.
4.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Disney, $9,839,370, 3,507 locations, $2,806 average, $355,580,702, five weeks.
5.Baywatch, Paramount, $8,741,285, 3,647 locations, $2,397 average, $41,965,723, two weeks.
6.Alien: Covenant, 20th Century Fox, $4,122,884, 2,660 locations, $1,550 average, $67,342,368, three weeks.
7.Everything, Everything, Warner Bros., $3,301,366, 2,375 locations, $1,390 average, $28,282,953, three weeks.
8. Snatched, 20th Century Fox, $1,318,582, 1,625 locations, $811 average, $43,846,996, four weeks.
9.Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, 20th Century Fox, $1,289,793, 2,088 locations, $618 average, $17,894,397, three weeks.
10.King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Warner Bros., $1,173,672, 1,222 locations, $960 average, $37,176,629, four weeks.
11Beauty and the Beast, Disney, $658,056, 527 locations, $1,249 average, $502,136,527, 12 weeks.
12.The Boss Baby, 20th Century Fox, $621,139, 684 locations, $908 average, $170,921,703, 10 weeks.
13. 3 Idiotas, Lionsgate, $609,249, 349 locations, $1,746 average, $609,249, one week.
14.Paris Can Wait, Sony Pictures Classics, $529,395, 151 locations, $3,506 average, $1,606,002, four weeks.
15.The Fate of the Furious, Universal, $489,465, 593 locations, $825 average, $223,807,400, eight weeks.
16.Churchill, Cohen Media Group, $400,843, 215 locations, $1,864 average, $400,843, one week.
17.Bon Cop Bad Cop 2, Entertainment One Films, $348,162, 95 locations, $3,665 average, $4,436,187, four weeks.
18.How to Be a Latin Lover, Lionsgate, $277,496, 277 locations, $1,002 average, $31,701,000, six weeks.
19.The Lovers, A24, $244,817, 348 locations, $703 average, $1,912,185, five weeks.
20.Going In Style, Warner Bros., $230,076, 303 locations, $759 average, $44,245,405, nine weeks.
MovieStyle on 06/09/2017