After years of waiting, Justice League is finally here! Warner Bros' grand journey into an interconnected film universe is finally put to the test in the superhero blockbuster, which features Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman teaming up to beat back an alien invasion. It certainly hasn't been an easy road for the movie, but it opened in theaters last night for the world to see and accumulated $13 million in the domestic box office, which is a relatively solid opening.
According to a report from Variety, Justice League opened Thursday night to $13 million. This number makes Justice League the fifth-biggest Thursday night preview of 2017, falling behind Thor: Ragnarok, Beauty and the Beast, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Justice League tied with IT for fifth place. In comparison to a recent DC release, Justice League's figure is $2 million more than that of Wonder Woman's Thursday night debut. Justice League is also opening in several foreign markets this weekend and has already grossed $8.5 million at the international box office. It's expected to make a worldwide total of $325-$355 million.
Previously, Justice League was tracking for a $110 million domestic opening weekend total and it is still on course to reach that number. The pressure is certainly on for Warner Bros, which is depending on the success of Justice League to justify its cinematic universe of DC characters. The budget for the blockbuster has not been released, but rumor has it that the film cost somewhere around $300 million to produce.
As far as reviews go, Justice League is something of a mixed bag. After the posting of the score was delayed, the movie is currently sitting at a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the majority of critics have had positive things to say about the characters and the future of the DCEU, the consensus seems to be that the movie still struggles to tell a good story. While that's no doubt disheartening for fans to hear (there's already a petition for Warner Bros. to release a Zack Snyder-approved cut), remember that the only opinion that matters is your own.
Even if Justice League falls short of expectations, the DCEU is far from finished. An Aquaman movie is set to hit a year from now and Shazam! has been gearing up to start production soon. There's also Wonder Woman 2, Suicide Squad 2, Flashpoint, Batgirl and a number of other announced projects still in the works. It's that the DCEU is going the way of Dark Universe anytime soon.
You'll be able to make your own judgments soon enough because Justice League is now in theaters. If you'd like a quick refresher before you see it, make sure to check out what we know so far about Justice League.
