The wait is just about over, the reviews are in and DC's highly anticipated and critically important Justice League hits theaters this weekend. The superhero team-up film is looking to continue the box office supremacy of comic book films and take the baton from Thor: Ragnarok, which dominated the first half of this month. Audiences have waited for years to see the most iconic superhero team in comics come to life on the big screen and the box office will reflect that as Wonder Woman and company are poised to rake in a whopping $325-$355 million worldwide in the opening frame.
The box office, riding a superhero high after Thor: Ragnarok, should propel Justice League to a worldwide opening that puts it ahead of Suicide Squad and Deadpool but below Iron Man 3, if the projections are right. Justice League is launching globally this weekend and that includes the ever-important Chinese market. The overseas haul is estimated to range between $215 and $235 million. The domestic box office, with a theater count of 4,040 locations, should be good for between $110-$120 million, according to Deadline. Justice League is already outpacing Wonder Woman and that film racked up $412.6 million stateside earlier this year.
The strength of Wonder Woman and enthusiasm around the character should create a renewed fan interest in the DC film universe, as well as seeing Gal Gadot team up with an iconic roster of heroes. Early reviews for Justice League have praised Wonder Woman along with Ben Affleck's more true-to-the-character Bruce Wayne. The team dynamic is a high point among critics and there seems to be a belief that the film continues the positive steps in the right direction first taken by Wonder Woman. In addition, while it often seemed like a talking point in the promotion, many reviews indicate that the fun of this film bears out in the final product.
If audiences respond to the film and good word of mouth drives repeat viewings, the very expensive Justice League could rack up a fair amount more. It should be fairly smooth sailing for Justice League with only Pixar's latest, Coco, and quite a bit of Oscar fare for the next couple weeks. Justice League also has the benefit of the Thanksgiving holiday stateside next week where a lot of people have off and can get to the theater. The film has some runway to really bring audiences in until Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives and likely conquers all that came before it.
Justice League is directed by Zack Snyder (and Joss Whedon) and opens this Friday, November 17th. You can pre-order your tickets for Justice League's opening weekend now and don't forget to stay for the end credits scenes.
