It looks like DC and Warner Bros. "Justice League" is not shooting for the major league on its premiere, as the box office predictions for the superhero movie is significantly lower than that of its Marvel competitor "Thor: Ragnarok."
The film is currently expected to rake in just $110 million during its opening in the North American box office. While this is not low by Hollywood standards, "Thor: Ragnarok's" was definitely higher at $122.7 million on its opening weekend. It is worth noting that "Thor: Ragnarok's" reception was also met with critical acclaim, scoring 92 percent positive on the critic review aggregates in Rotten Tomatoes. This is a tall order for "Justice League" as its competition is both a critical and commercial success.
In comparison, "Justice League's" critic aggregate on the same website came in only at 36 percent positive, earning it a "rotten" tag. Critics are also currently panning the superhero movie left and right saying that it was disappointing despite the stellar cast and the chemistry of the superhero friends. Some have even stated that the movie can only be appreciated by fans of the source material, which does not bode well for its commercial standing.
Still, it was an improvement over the studio's last foray in DC territory, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad." Website Comic Book has also expressed that while it will undoubtedly take the top spot in cinemas this week or even the next, Warner Bros. is still nervous that if it does not surpass "Thor" in the box office, it could spell the eventual decline of DC extended universe (DCEU) in film.
"If a B character from Marvel shut downs and outperforms the A team from DC, that's an embarrassment. It's going to be a stressful weekend for some [Warners] execs," said an anonymous source to The Hollywood Reporter.
Needless to say, "Justice League" is under a lot of pressure since it is the first culmination of DC's superheroes on the big screen, and it seems to be underperforming already. In comparison, Marvel's first superhero culmination attempt, the "Avengers" back in 2012 earned $1.5 billion worldwide with an equally grand critic aggregate score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Justice League" premieres today, Nov. 17, in theaters worldwide.
