Warner Bros's Superman reboot, Man of Steel, enjoys the biggest June opening ever seen in the US.
Man of Steel, Warner Bros’s big-budget reboot of the Superman franchise, broke US box office records when it opened this
weekend. The film, which stars British actor Henry Cavill and cost around $225 million to make, took $113.1 million
this weekend, giving it the biggest June opening in US history, a record set in 2012 by Toy Story 3, which took $110.3
million.
Man of Steel earned an additional $12 million from late-night Thursday screenings, taking its domestic total to $125
million, and far outshining the last Superman reboot, Superman Returns (2006), which starred Brandon Routh and took
$52.5 million in its opening weekend.
Rumours of a Man of Steel sequel, which were already rife before the film opened (according to website deadline.com,
the film is already in production) have now been cranked up a notch, with The Wall Street Journal claiming that Warner
Bros are expected to fast track the film for release as soon as 2014.
Meanwhile, despite receiving mixed reviews, the film is flying high in UK cinemas, having taken £17.4 million
($27.4 million) this weekend. Man of Steel's weekend take in North America was $113.1 million, the top opening for June.
Combined with $12 million from special Walmart screenings Thursday night, the film's domestic total through Sunday
was $125.1 million.
As a way of comparison internationally, Man of Steel is pacing nearly 40 percent ahead of Nolan's sequel The Dark Knight,
which ultimately earned $470 million overseas. It opened to a $17.1 million in the U.K., one of the best showings for
a superhero film and almost on par with Iron Man 3 earlier this summer.Man of Steel debuted to $9.9 million in South
Korea and $9.8 million in Mexico. The film makes a major push next weekend when opening in another 26 markets, including
a raft of major European markets.
