The Batman Glides Past $750 Million At The Global Box Office
With "The Batman" available on HBO Max as of today, the film managed to cross one last milestone before finishing its exclusive theatrical run.
Matt Reeves' Bat-buster has now grossed over $750 million at the global box office, securing its spot as the top-grossing movie of 2022 for the time being. With an international take of $386.1 million and $365 million from theaters in North America, the film has taken in $751.1 million total, giving it the number one spot over the Chinese blockbuster "Water Gate Bridge" ($626.2 million) and Sony's "Uncharted" ($389.2 million). Reeves' movie will only continue to pad out its total over the next four weeks, culminating in "The Batman" releasing on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 24, 2022.
Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' President of Domestic Distribution, commented on the news in a statement (note, dear readers, that it was he and not I who referred to Batman as an "iconic DC Super Hero"):
"The incredible response we've seen at theaters across the country is a testament to both the enduring power of this iconic DC Super Hero and the huge appetite out there to experience great movies on the big screen. We congratulate everyone involved on reaching this impressive milestone."
Warner Bros. takes the good with the bad
It's not all good news for Warner Bros., though. David Yates' "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," the third entry in the studio's "Harry Potter" prequel saga, opened to $43 million in North America, an all-time low for the Wizarding World. Reviews were generally better for "The Secrets of Dumbledore" than the last "Fantastic Beasts" movie, "The Crimes of Grindelwald," but that wasn't enough to rejuvenate interest in the faltering property after the previous film and the franchise's recent off-screen controversies. With a global cume of $193.4 million after two weeks, it's a pretty inauspicious start for the $200 million tentpole.
Warner Bros. is now faced with a tough choice: plow ahead with two more "Fantastic Beasts" films as planned or bail out now and try a fresh approach to the lucrative Wizarding World. Lucky for it, "The Batman" has been a success across the board, with a sequel all-but-confirmed to be happening at this stage. This is also good news for the various spinoff series being developed for HBO Max, the first of which will be a show about the crime lord Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) and his rise to power as The Penguin. Could a "Catwoman" series centered on Zoë Kravitz's Selina Kyle be far behind? I wouldn't bet against it, myself.
"The Batman" is now streaming on HBO Max and will air on HBO on April 23, 2022. It arrives on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray a month after that on May 24, 2022.