“The Batman” Prepared to Join “Spider-Man: No Way Home” With an Epic Opening

We’ve covered The Batman exhaustively since we first heard that writer/director Matt Reeves’s vision for a gritty, noir-tinged reboot had been greenlit by Warner Bros. in what feels like several lifetimes ago. Now, after collecting a slew of great reviews this week, Reeves’s The Batman is in theaters, and early indications are that it could become only the second film since the pandemic hit to cross the $100 million mark in a single weekend. Box office prognosticators say The Batman has a very good shot scooping up at least $140 million in its first three days of release, which would mean the reboot would join Spider-Man: No Way Home as the only film during the pandemic era to do so. It’s already earned a very healthy $21.6 million in its Thursday previews.

There are plenty of reasons why The Batman has garnered so much interest. The first and most obvious is that Batman, as one of the most iconic characters in the superhero world, is an inherent draw. Yet the casting of Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne generated a ton of interest, as the former Twilight heartthrob has carved out an intriguing, edgy career since he played the moody teenage vampire Edward Cullen. Then there’s the excellent supporting cast and the iconic roles they’ve taken on, including Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as the lunatic Edward Nashton/The Ridder, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, and Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon. Finally, there’s the great critical reception, with many critics calling The Batman one of the best (if not the best) Batman films of all time. Add all this together—a visionary filmmaker given the freedom to put his spin on an iconic character, star power, and a bunch of critical rave reviews—and you’ve got the makings of a massive hit.

The Batman has already given a major boost to Warner Bros. in terms of extending and expanding the DC Extended Universe. There’s an entire extended “Batverse” based on The Batman bubbling to life on HBO Max. Three series (thus far) have been confirmed—one will explore the rise of Colin Farrell’s the Penguin, another will take us inside the Gotham City Police Department, and a third will be an animated Batman show from creator Bruce Timm.

It seems like, for now, we’re living in The Batman‘s world.

For more on The Batman, check out these stories:

“The Batman” Spinoffs That Will Create a Batverse on HBO Max

How “The Batman” Writer/Director Matt Reeves Embraced Fear

The Best Batman Of Them All? “The Batman” vs “The Dark Knight”

“The Batman” Early Reactions: A Gripping, Glorious Street-Level Detective Story

Featured image: Caption: ROBERT PATTINSON as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “THE BATMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley/™ & © DC Comics