Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman” is soaring to a $100 million opening weekend at the North American box office, early estimates showed Friday.
Should the first projections hold for the Warner Bros. tentpole, “Wonder Woman” and director Patty Jenkins will set a record for the top domestic debut weekend for a film directed by a woman.
Sam Taylor-Johnson’s “Fifty Shades of Grey” previously held that distinction with an opening weekend gross of $85 million on Feb. 13-15, 2015 and $93 million over the four-day Valentine’s Day/Presidents Day weekend.First Friday estimates showed “Wonder Woman” finishing in the $96 million to $103 million range at 4,165 sites, while Fox’s launch of animated children’s comedy “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” was heading for a launch between $24 million and $32 million at 3,434 locations.
That’s in line with recent forecasts for “Wonder Woman’s” domestic launch, which have been in the $100 million range — far above the studio’s more conservative estimate in the $80 million range.
“Wonder Woman” could take in as much as $40 million on Friday, which would include the $11 million from Thursday night previews — the third-highest preview number of the year.
Disney’s second weekend of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” was heading for a steep 66% decline from its opening to finish behind “Captain Underpants” with about $22 million at 4,276 venues, which will leave it with a 10-day gross…
The post Box Office: ‘Wonder Woman’ Flying to $100 Million Opening Weekend appeared first on FeedBox.