While Warner Bros. saw “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” get off to a rough start at the box office, the studio had some good news as its other big 2022 blockbuster, “The Batman,” became only the fifth film since the COVID-19 pandemic began to gross $750 million worldwide.
“The Batman” joins a list led by Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($1.89 billion) and also includes the Chinese films “The Battle at Lake Changjin” ($902.5 million) and “Hi, Mom” ($822 million) as well as MGM’s James Bond movie “No Time to Die” ($774 million).
“The incredible response we’ve seen at theaters across the country is a testament to both the enduring power of this iconic DC superhero and the huge appetite out there to experience great movies on the big screen,” Warner domestic distribution head Jeff Goldstein said in a statement. “We congratulate everyone involved on reaching this impressive milestone.”
“The Batman” got off to an impressive start with a $134 million domestic opening weekend, joining “No Way Home” as only the second film to crack the $100 million mark. Since then, the film has amassed totals of $365 million domestic and $386 million internationally.
It is worth noting that “The Batman” has reached this mark without the help of two major markets: China, where its numbers have sunk due to COVID-19 closures and a diminishing interest in Hollywood films, and Russia, where the film was pulled due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Minus those two countries, “The Batman” is performing consistently with Zack Snyder’s 2016 film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which grossed $765 million worldwide excluding China and Russia.
“‘The Batman’ performs on every level, delivering critical praise and big crowds in every market around the globe,” Warner international distribution chief Andrew Cripps said. “We’re so proud of the film and so happy it continues to strike a chord with audiences everywhere.”
The next film likely to crack the $750 million mark is Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which comes out in early May. Early tracking has the film topping “The Batman” for the highest domestic opening of the year with at least $165 million, as the sequel starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen is fueled by its status not only as a follow-up to “Spider-Man: No Way Home” but to the hit Disney+ series “WandaVision.”
