After several years of failed starts, a Wonder Woman movie is finally in theaters, and judging by the reception thus far, it's quite good. The fourth film in the DCEU had an unfair amount of pressure placed on it by some to succeed, not only as the first well-received DCEU film across the board, but to prove that female-led superhero movies are commercially viable. The weekend's not over yet, but right now it sure looks like Wonder Woman will meet those expectations. The film has already broken a Thursday night screening record by having the largest debut with a female director.
According to Deadline, Wonder Woman premiered last night to the tune of $11 million. That means Wonder Woman has the best opening night in the domestic box office of any film directed by a female. Sam Taylor's Fifty Shades of Grey previously held the title at $8.6 million, so Wonder Woman passed it quite handily. Warner Bros previously estimated that the Patty Jenkins directed film was looking at an opening weekend of $65-75 million (which puts it on par with Captain America: The First Avenger), but tracking is currently predicting a more ambitious $90 million. Good word of mouth is responsible for the uptick, as Wonder Woman also happens to currently be the highest-rated DC film since The Dark Knight Rises.
Wonder Woman's Thursday opening is pretty good even when compared to other solo superhero movies. For example, Wonder Woman's opening surpasses Doctor Strange ($9.4 million), Ant-Man ($6.4 million), Captain America: The First Avenger ($4 million) and Thor ($3.2 million). The movie falls just short of the debut of Guardians of the Galaxy's $11.2 million.
Good reviews are also on Wonder Woman's side, as the film currently stands at a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So worried fans who were burnt from last year can safely wipe the sweat from their brow. While commercially successful, both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were blasted with bad reviews from critics, the two of them sitting at 27% and 25%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes. While this in no way means the tide is turning for the DC Extended Universe, it's certainly a hell of a start to repairing its image.
Directed by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot, who reprises her role after first debuted in Batman V Superman. The film tells the origin story of Wonder Woman, who had humble beginnings as an Amazon princess with superpowers on the mythical island of Themyscira. Taking place in World War I, Diana journeys to Man's World for the first time with pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) in order to uncover a plot she believes to be orchestrated by Ares, the God of War.
Wonder Woman is in theaters right now, so what are you waiting for? Go see it already!
