Justice League arrives in theaters in less than two months, and we’ve begun to see some box office predictions. Based on early tracking, it looks as though the project will enjoy an impressive opening weekend in North America, although it probably won’t do as well as 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The long-range Box Office Pro forecast suggested that Justice League could command around $150 million during its domestic opening weekend. That would be approximately $16 million short of Batman v Superman’s earnings, but it would also surpass the debuts of the other DC Extended Universe installments. Such an opening would put the movie on track to gross around $330 million during its entire theatrical run.
The Warner Bros. venture won't have much competition from the other two November 17 releases, Sony's The Star and Lionsgate's Wonder. The previous week’s movies, Paramount's Daddy's Home 2 and Fox's Murder on the Orient Express, aren’t expected to present much of a threat, either. However, Justice League will open during Thor: Ragnarok’s third weekend, and that could cause some damage, since it represents the shortest interval between MCU and DCEU installments.
Justice League features iconic superheroes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, and that will attract large numbers, even if its Rotten Tomatoes approval rating isn’t the greatest. Additional viewers might give it the benefit of the doubt out of curiosity about Joss Whedon's contributions following Zack Snyder’s departure.
But it would take critical acclaim and positive word of mouth to place Justice League among the top five highest-grossing superhero movies. And it's an open secret that the fate of the DCEU depends greatly on how Justice League performs. Disappointing results might encourage Warner Bros. to focus more on making DC Comics-based movies that will exist outside of the shared universe, such as The Joker origin story they have in development.
Here are two new banners that were spotted on the movie's promotional website, JoinTheLeague.com!
Justice League banner featuring all except Superman! (Photo Credit – Warner Bros.)
Superman returns in this one! (Photo Credit – Warner Bros.)
