The Batman Is Officially The Biggest Box Office Hit Of The Year (For Now)
It didn't even take a full month, but we can now officially say that "The Batman" is the biggest box office hit of the year. This is not just limited to releases in North America, mind you, as Robert Pattinson's first go-around as DC's most beloved superhero has topped the charts worldwide and now ranks as 2022's highest-grossing movie overall. It's a great sign for Warner Bros. and all but ensures this version of the franchise will continue for some time. But the question is, how long will the Caped Crusader hold the crown?
According to Box Office Mojo, director Matt Reeves' "The Batman" currently sits at $674 million worldwide, including $333.6 million domestic and $340.9 million from overseas markets. That gives it pretty close to a 50/50 split, which is unusual for superhero movies, especially since this was one of the very few American movies that actually got released in China. However, it failed to make very much money there, as many theaters have been shut down again due to the pandemic.
The DC Comics adaptation has bested "Water Gate Bridge" ($626 million), the sequel to China's gigantic hit blockbuster from last year, "The Battle at Lake Changjin." which ranked as the second-biggest movie of 2021 overall, second to only "Spider-Man: No Way Home." What's really amazing is how far behind the rest of the competition is, as the number three movie of the year so far is Sony's "Uncharted" with $357 million. Rounding out the top five are "Too Cool to Kill" ($217 million), and "Nice View" ($211) million, a couple of other foreign hits. "Scream" is the next American movie on the list at number six with $140 million.
How long can Batman keep the title?
This is pretty much good news all around, as Warner Bros. has a new iteration of one of its biggest franchises to play with, and we should expect a sequel announcement any day now. It's all but confirmed at this point — it's really just a matter of making it official. But without getting ahead of ourselves, a three-hour, gritty superhero movie is the biggest hit of the year, which is good for the box office recovery. That said, it's not a title the movie will probably keep for long.
April sees a slew of big films coming our way, including "Morbius," "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald," and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." While these movies are certainly set up to be hits, it is hard to imagine they will get anywhere near the likely $750 to $800 million final total of "The Batman." So Battinson is safe for about a month until Marvel comes knocking again in May.
In all likelihood, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which arrives on May 6, will be one of the biggest movies of the year, if not the single biggest movie of the year worldwide. It should be set up for a $1 billion run and it will almost certainly pass "The Batman" when all is said and done. Other movies that have the chance to do bigger business include "Jurassic World Dominion," "Minions: The Rise of Gru," and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Be that as it may, that takes nothing away from what Reeves has accomplished with his gritty, grounded take on Gotham City and its masked protector.
"The Batman" is in theaters now.