It's going to take more than critics' negative reviews to slow down the big-screen pairing of DC Comics' top superheroes.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stormed the box office Friday, recording $82 million in domestic ticket sales, according to estimates at Box Office Mojo. Zootopia and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, also in its opening weekend, sold an estimated $9.5 million and $7.2 million in tickets Friday.
The superhero film's number sets a new Friday record for March or for an Easter weekend. The tally, which marks one of the biggest opening-day hauls ever, includes $27.7 million from Thursday screenings that preceded Friday's official release date.
Many critics have panned the superhero matchup, which features Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, with the film scoring a low 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 73% approval rating in Audience Score on the same website may be a better reflection of the box office performance.
The film also features the first appearance of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
Before the power-packed opening, the biggest March opening-day gross was $67.3 million for The Hunger Games initial outing in 2012, according to comScore. Furious 7, the most recent installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, set a Good Friday record last April, recording $67.4 million in box-office sales.
Weekend box-office estimates will be available Sunday.
