"Batman v Superman" Hauls in $82 Million Friday

[Ishmael]

Who gives a flip about Rotten Tomatoes?

Swear to god it's like some comic fans need external validation about their likes and dislikes. It's a good, good film, just like some (but not all) of the Marvel films are good, good films. Both companies take liberties with the source material, and both are entertaining.

So sick of this DC vs. Marvel bs at this point. And even sicker of Rotten Tomatoes.

[graviton]

I thoroughly enjoyed the film. My wife went along, and she is no comic book fan, and she thought it was great popcorn flick - that's pretty high praise from a person who thinks that most superhero movies are just awful. Anyways, I think the characters were written pretty well, and I thought Ben Affleck killed it as Batman and Bruce Wayne. Way better than Christian Bale's throat cancer take on the Batman, IMHO. I was worried going in that the movie might disappoint, but I was very pleased to see that this was not to be the case. Favorite sequence - Batman taking out the goons holding Martha Kent hostage. Now THAT is what Batman should look like in a fight! Looking forward to the next DCU films - I liked this better than most of the Marvel Films.

[gbshabo]

The problem is, if it does make a billion, then we may see more of this kind of dreck from Snyder directing more DC movies. And that is the last thing I want to see, because I want to see good movies, not just movies people see because they are the first time three characters got together on film.

One weekend isn't going to make this movie a success though, it has to have legs. 180 million opening followed by drops of 50 percent each subsequent weekend would not be good. that would mean it would reach 335 million after four weeks. Not good.

Actually, no. your math doesn't factor in daily box office- Monday-thursday

[Flash Gordon]

I hope it dominates the box office. Just cause.

[Perry]

I saw it this morning & thought it was awesome. The 151 running time just flew by. This isn't a Marvel Studios flick & I think that's where the negativity comes in. Thankfully BvS doesn't ride the coat tales of a marvel flick & instead follows its own tone & revisits some elements from Watchmen, & is an excellent sequel to MOS. Haters are gonna hate.

No, the negativity comes from the fact that this is a grimdark movie about one of the brightest, optimistic characters in comics. No one cares that it isn't a Marvel flick. The same people who loved the upbeat, fun Iron Man also loved the much darker The Dark Knight. And the reason people love both is because both were coherent stories about characters with clear motivations and it stayed true to the spirit of the source material. That can't be said about BvS.

You cited the problem here—it revisits some elements from Watchmen. Superman is not Dr. Manhattan and Batman is not Rorschach. By taking cues from those characters in portraying Superman and Batman, Snyder is betraying the source material. More than that, it's not "following its own tone." If it were, then you'd see a Batman who is a grim vigilante but still has one rule he won't violate and you'd see a Superman who is the epitome of heroism. You'd see a clear contrast between the two characters. But BvS doesn't follow its own tone—instead, it just apes the tired, old grimdark formula that most of us outgrew along with adolescence.

Phil, why the crusade? Anything positive where this film is concerned, you come out with guns blazing. If you think Marvel has been "very" respectful, why is Hank Pym not Ant-Man? Why does Marvel neuter their villains? Why are they not interested in pushing a female character?

A) In the movies, Hank Pym was Ant-Man early in his career, then he passed on the identity to Scott Lang. How is that not respectful to what happened in the comics?

B) I don't see any neutering going on. But if you think a bizarre motivation about "daddy beat me and God never helped so now I want to kill Superman" makes a good villain, then we're never going to see eye to eye on this.

C) Jessica Jones has gotten a second season. Captain Marvel is getting her own movie. Black Widow continues to be one of the most central Avengers. Mockingbird is going to be at the center of a new TV show. The next Ant-Man movie is titled Ant-Man and the Wasp, which means Wasp is going to be sharing the spotlight. DC's got the Supergirl TV show and a Wonder Woman movie. So how is DC doing better than Marvel?

i just dont agree with any of that.

the movie takes from Superman and Batmans history. throughout. not just regular canon but even elseworlds & the multi-verse. why isn't anyone dwelling on that?

I haven't heard anyone in the comic community saying they are offended by Snyder & Goyer's take on this.

I am stunned by what I read & hear with those who feel offended by this movie. I either hear professional critics who are not part of the comics community or those of the comics community that put up with so many changes in other comics films but not this one. Marvel has a bunch of changes. and i still go to them 2x or 3x. Same with BvS.

I mean there are many changes in the marvel movie universe but so what. They still make for very enjoyable movies.

I was entranced by this flick and didn't feel offended or like I wasted my time. I felt Snyder really appreciated the universe he has been given a chance to oversee.

It throws random elements from Superman and Batman's history, yes. But it ignores the core essence of both characters and just throws all these moments at the screen even though they do not work together in the least.

Second, if you haven't heard anyone in the comic community criticizing this movie, then you haven't even been paying attention to this very forum.

We put up with changes in the movies, but there's a world of difference between making superficial changes like Wolverine not being short or Nick Fury being black and completely reversing the character's personalities and ethics. When the comic book Superman has a history of being inspiring and working within the system and not killing and then the movie Superman spends his time being a dark, brooding vigilante who has no problems with casual murder, then that's not a superficial change.

Honestly , the comic book films have taken liberties with the source material and will continue to do it.

Not like this. Taking liberties are fine, as long as the core of the character is still intact. That's why the Marvel films work. It didn't matter that Tony Stark was captured in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam. It didn't matter that Bucky was a fellow soldier and not Cap's costumed sidekick. It didn't matter that Banner transformed into the Hulk because he was trying to recreate the Super Soldier Serum instead of being caught in a gamma bomb explosion. It didn't matter that Thor and Donald Blake didn't share a body. It didn't matter that Hawkeye has a family or that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were experiments instead of mutants or that Black Widow didn't have a Russian accent.

What matters is that the core of the characters is there.

BvS completely spits on the core of the characters. Snyder is so enamored of the grimdark aesthetic of Watchmen (to the point that he completely missed the meaning of that damn book) that he just slaps that on every single hero. So he turns these two classic heroes into violent sociopaths just because. Batman and Superman are heroic. Sadistman and Mopeman are not.

Who gives a flip about Rotten Tomatoes?

Swear to god it's like some comic fans need external validation about their likes and dislikes. It's a good, good film, just like some (but not all) of the Marvel films are good, good films. Both companies take liberties with the source material, and both are entertaining.

So sick of this DC vs. Marvel bs at this point. And even sicker of Rotten Tomatoes.

RT keeps being brought up because people like you keep pushing nonsense like, "oh, the only people hating this are people who hate any comic movies that aren't Marvel!" This isn't a Marvel vs DC thing. This is about quality vs crap.

[inisideguy]

The problem is, if it does make a billion, then we may see more of this kind of dreck from Snyder directing more DC movies. And that is the last thing I want to see, because I want to see good movies, not just movies people see because they are the first time three characters got together on film.

One weekend isn't going to make this movie a success though, it has to have legs. 180 million opening followed by drops of 50 percent each subsequent weekend would not be good. that would mean it would reach 335 million after four weeks. Not good.

I dont know Phil. You are looking at well over 200 million before even next weekend hits. Lets say a 50 percent drop. You are talking probably 300 million by next sunday. Its already made 200 million worldwide. In one day.

[GSwarthout]

Because those are better movies. No one is saying that BvS is a masterpiece

I'll say it. BvS is a goddamn masterpiece!

[GSwarthout]

No one said Nolan's were either. A Fresh rating merely is indicative that the movie was at least 'average'.

The Dark Knight is the highest rated superhero movie in recent memory.

[Ishmael]

RT keeps being brought up because people like you keep pushing nonsense like, "oh, the only people hating this are people who hate any comic movies that aren't Marvel!" This isn't a Marvel vs DC thing. This is about quality vs crap.

No, this is exactly a Marvel vs DC thing. Whenever a critic says the movie's "Not fun" I roll my eyes.

Dance off bro ... you and me. Or is that we need to go have falafels? Or do we need to minimize the destruction of three helicarriers in downtown Washington by telling elected officials that they won't prosecute us because they "need" us, right before we swagger out of the room? I can't figure out which is more appropriate in the wake of the threat of world wide destruction.

BvS takes seriously what it would be like to have these characters in our midst. And they STILL act heroically, even if they're not making smart-assed jokes. So I disagree with the whole thing that Snyder spits on the characters. He's actually given us a story that takes seriously what would happened if individuals like this existed.

People loved Kingdom Come. Yet they won't accept this. Whatever.

[Agent Z]

Word. I appreciate the fact that WB isn't afraid to make their villains irredeemable. Enough with guys with daddy issues like in IM2, Ant-Man, Thor, AoU, etc.!

Um, Luthor's like that in BvS, too.

[Jaylarue]

this whole nonsense about Snyder not staying true to the characters of Batman and Superman is ridiculous. Both are riddled with doubt. Both are riddled with fear. Both are torn between love and revenge. Superman is the mask, but the core of Clark is that he was raised as a human, by humans. When his mother tells Clark that he owes this world nothing, this is not a flaw. This is Martha telling Clark to be true to himself, be true to his core. He listens. He sacrifices everything. Batman has always been an angry man. He has faced losses all around him his entire life. But he still realizes his mistakes and rises above this. they are both great men, and snyder recognizes this. He wants us to doubt and question this. Thats the beauty of this movie. It makes you think. Love it or hate it, its got all of us talking about it, and as far as Im concerned thats what is really important.

On another note, if we are going to keep the super hero movie thing going, we have to have diversity and different interpretations. I havent seen Deadpool yet, but I think movies like that and BvS are a great step in that direction. I dont read the same type of comics all the time, and Im sure we would not want to see the exact same type of movie every time either.

I still do not understand all the hate this movie is getting, but we are all entitled to our opinion. Which is exactly what Snyder was probably setting out to do.

[Agent Z]

No, the negativity comes from the fact that this is a grimdark movie about one of the brightest, optimistic characters in comics. No one cares that it isn't a Marvel flick. The same people who loved the upbeat, fun Iron Man also loved the much darker The Dark Knight. And the reason people love both is because both were coherent stories about characters with clear motivations and it stayed true to the spirit of the source material. That can't be said about BvS.

You cited the problem here—it revisits some elements from Watchmen. Superman is not Dr. Manhattan and Batman is not Rorschach. By taking cues from those characters in portraying Superman and Batman, Snyder is betraying the source material. More than that, it's not "following its own tone." If it were, then you'd see a Batman who is a grim vigilante but still has one rule he won't violate and you'd see a Superman who is the epitome of heroism. You'd see a clear contrast between the two characters. But BvS doesn't follow its own tone—instead, it just apes the tired, old grimdark formula that most of us outgrew along with adolescence.



A) In the movies, Hank Pym was Ant-Man early in his career, then he passed on the identity to Scott Lang. How is that not respectful to what happened in the comics?

B) I don't see any neutering going on. But if you think a bizarre motivation about "daddy beat me and God never helped so now I want to kill Superman" makes a good villain, then we're never going to see eye to eye on this.

C) Jessica Jones has gotten a second season. Captain Marvel is getting her own movie. Black Widow continues to be one of the most central Avengers. Mockingbird is going to be at the center of a new TV show. The next Ant-Man movie is titled Ant-Man and the Wasp, which means Wasp is going to be sharing the spotlight. DC's got the Supergirl TV show and a Wonder Woman movie. So how is DC doing better than Marvel?



It throws random elements from Superman and Batman's history, yes. But it ignores the core essence of both characters and just throws all these moments at the screen even though they do not work together in the least.

Second, if you haven't heard anyone in the comic community criticizing this movie, then you haven't even been paying attention to this very forum.

We put up with changes in the movies, but there's a world of difference between making superficial changes like Wolverine not being short or Nick Fury being black and completely reversing the character's personalities and ethics. When the comic book Superman has a history of being inspiring and working within the system and not killing and then the movie Superman spends his time being a dark, brooding vigilante who has no problems with casual murder, then that's not a superficial change.



Not like this. Taking liberties are fine, as long as the core of the character is still intact. That's why the Marvel films work. It didn't matter that Tony Stark was captured in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam. It didn't matter that Bucky was a fellow soldier and not Cap's costumed sidekick. It didn't matter that Banner transformed into the Hulk because he was trying to recreate the Super Soldier Serum instead of being caught in a gamma bomb explosion. It didn't matter that Thor and Donald Blake didn't share a body. It didn't matter that Hawkeye has a family or that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were experiments instead of mutants or that Black Widow didn't have a Russian accent.

What matters is that the core of the characters is there.

BvS completely spits on the core of the characters. Snyder is so enamored of the grimdark aesthetic of Watchmen (to the point that he completely missed the meaning of that damn book) that he just slaps that on every single hero. So he turns these two classic heroes into violent sociopaths just because. Batman and Superman are heroic. Sadistman and Mopeman are not.



RT keeps being brought up because people like you keep pushing nonsense like, "oh, the only people hating this are people who hate any comic movies that aren't Marvel!" This isn't a Marvel vs DC thing. This is about quality vs crap.

How was Superman like Dr Manhattan in this? How was he okay with casual murder?

[Hellblazer]

I really hope people continue to watch this regardless of the bad reviews. I myself went in to watching this movie with a negative mind, all the hype killed by the bad reviews... While watching the movie, I couldn't get my self to enjoy the movie and I kept waiting for the part where it all goes to shit.... honestly, by the time it ended, I was really satisfied and looked at my friends who also shared the same opinion. I plan to watch the movie again to catch all the things I missed and re-watch some of the epic scenes that this film had plenty of. I haven't read a DC comic for about a year now and this has got me a bit excited to read a again.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

I'll say it. BvS is a goddamn masterpiece!

Yup, why I've already seen it 4 times and plan to see it another 16+ before the BD. Will run out of my current stash of movie $ after the 10th trip, gonna have to stockpile more, especially since I want to see Apocalypse quite a few times too.

[BCya]

Who gives a flip about Rotten Tomatoes?

Swear to god it's like some comic fans need external validation about their likes and dislikes. It's a good, good film, just like some (but not all) of the Marvel films are good, good films. Both companies take liberties with the source material, and both are entertaining.

So sick of this DC vs. Marvel bs at this point. And even sicker of Rotten Tomatoes.

I'm with you. We can't even like things and have fun any more!

The internet makes the griping too easy. Back in the day, if there was a guy in your class who complained about everything you liked, you would just avoid him like the plague.