Superhero blockbuster has mild-mannered success

Warner Bros’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” maintained its top spot in both Korean and North American box office, but experienced a steep fall in attracting moviegoers in its second weekend. [WARNER BROS. KOREA]

Word of mouth might be kryptonite for “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’’ which fell a steep 68 percent in its second weekend in North American theaters according to comScore estimates Sunday. The superhero pic earned an estimated $52.4 million over the weekend, easily besting the modest new openers like “God’s Not Dead 2’’ and “Meet the Blacks.’’

The situation wasn’t any better in Korean box office, as it attracted 344,398 attendees during the weekend, barely outperforming Disney’s “Zootopia,” which opened here seven weeks ago. The DC comics’ extravaganza earned 16.7 billion won ($14.5 million) in Korea so far.

The Zack Snyder movie cost a reported $250 million to produce and around $150 million to market, and has earned an estimated $261.5 million to date.

It’s a critical launching point for a series of interconnected movies in the DC Comics Universe from Warner Bros. that will include this year’s “Suicide Squad’’ and next year’s “Wonder Woman’’ and two “Justice League’’ movies, which is why its early performance - and hold - are being so intensely scrutinized.

Superhero movies tend to be frontloaded with fans, and a near 60 percent fall is not uncommon for major blockbusters in weekend two.

“Sometimes the bigger they are the harder they fall,’’ said Paul Dergarabedian, comScore’s senior media analyst. “This is often what happens when you have films that rank in the top 10 debuts of all time.’’

Snyder’s “Man of Steel,’’ for instance, fell 64.6 percent in its second weekend, and even “The Dark Knight Rises’’ dropped a hefty 61.4 percent. Things aren’t terribly different in the Marvel universe either. Disney’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron’’ tumbled 59.4 percent and Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past’’ plunged 64.2 percent.

Still, 68 percent is on the steeper side for a second week fall. Last year’s much derided “Fantastic Four’’ reboot fell 68.2 percent and the divisive “X-Men Origins: Wolverine’’ dropped 69 percent in 2009.

Meanwhile, Disney’s “Zootopia’’ held on to second place with a robust $20 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $275.9 million. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’’ took third in its second week with $11.1 million.

In the Korean box office, “Zootopia” remained in second with 292,421 audience members, making 28.1 billion won since its Feb. 17 opening.

“The Great Actor,” in which maverick actor Oh Dal-su takes center stage for the first time, debuted in third with 78,346 tickets sold, which roughly translates to 956.7 million won.

The Hollywood film “Misconduct,” starring Korean actor Lee Byung-hun alongside Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins, debuted in fourth with 71,129 attendees despite critics’ negative reviews for its weak plot.

KOREA BOX OFFICE
1 Batman V Superman
2 Zootopia
3 The Great Actor

N. AMERICA BOX OFFICE
1 Batman V Superman
2 Zootopia
3 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

BY JIN EUN-SOO, AP [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]