Batman and Superman are no match for 'The Boss'
Batman was unable to topple Superman in their long-awaited showdown, but Melissa McCarthy is likely to put the smackdown on them both this weekend.
After spending two weeks at the top of the domestic box office charts since its Mar. 25 opening, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is poised to slide into #2, with an estimated $23.44 million in ticket sales this weekend. It's close, but not quite enough to inch past the $23.48 million that The Boss is expected to bring in.
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Bear in mind, these are just studio estimates based on each movie's Friday and Saturday performances. The numbers probably will shift, and they're so close right now that BvS could emerge the winner.
In either case, it's not a situation where the "better" movie wins. Here, we have a middling newcomer in The Boss stepping up to steal the spotlight. The McCarthy comedy's "C+" CinemaScore rating actually falls short of the "B" owned by BvS, though neither grade is considered "good" by Hollywood standards.
The Boss stayed competitive by providing a welcome date night alternative for audiences that haven't had much to choose from in recent weeks. McCarthy is a crowd-pleaser -- The Boss is her third #1 opening to date -- though a dismal critical reception won't do her any favors in the weeks to come.
Dawn of Justice continues to be the box office story of the moment, filling out the weekly box office race with train wreck appeal. Weekend three delivers another steep decline -- 54%, according to current estimates -- after an almost 70% slide in domestic ticket sales over its first two weekends.
With a cumulative domestic box office take of more than $296 million and an overseas total of $486.8 million, the $1 billion box office target -- which many industry experts have suggested is what Warner Bros. needs to call BvS profitable -- is still in reach, though slowing ticket sales have to be a concern for the studio at this point.
The coming weeks aren't going to make that climb any easier. Three Fridays remain before Captain America: Civil War renders all other superhero competition irrelevant at the box office, and openings for The Jungle Book and The Huntsman: Winter's War occupy two of those Fridays.
The Jungle Book might seem like a reach for snatching away BvS moviegoers, but extremely favorable early reviews point to yet another early-year win -- after Zootopia -- for Disney.
And what of Huntsman, which has already opened outside the U.S.? It's on track right now for a cumulative $21.3 million weekend, spread across 18 international openings. That's not a blockbuster win, but it's roughly on par with successful-enough-for-a-sequel predecessor Snow White and the Huntsman's $39.3 million overseas opening -- across 45 international markets -- in May 2012.
Whoever comes out on top this weekend, BvS loses.
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Topics Film
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
