"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is expected to fly into the top of the Chinese box office charts this weekend, opening on a Friday, which is a rarity in the East Asian nation. The DC Comics - Warner Bros. film is estimated to rake in a total gross of $150 million to $230 million by the end of its theatrical run.
The superhero production, which stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams and Gal Gadot, will be the first Batman movie to be shown in China since 2012 when the then Christian Bale-starring "The Dark Knight Rises" earned $52.8 million even with stiff competition from the Andrew Garfield-fronted "The Amazing Spiderman."
Warner Bros. is expecting a higher number than the final gross of "Rises" as the Chinese theatrical market has boomed in the last four years in addition to the fanboy credibility of showing two superheroes in one movie.
Made from a $250 million production budget, "Batman v Superman" tells of the rivalry between the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel after Batman blamed Superman for the massive casualties in Metropolis that resulted from the battle with Zod in "Man of Steel."
The appearance of Affleck, Cavill and director Zack Snyder in a Beijing fan event with Chinese multimedia star Li Yifeng, who serves as a fan ambassador for the film, will also likely help build the film's box office strength, according to Variety.
"Batman v Superman," however, will have to fight off solid showings from two other Hollywood releases. "Zootopia," which has now grossed $173 million, and "The Revenant," right after Leonardo DiCaprio's Best Actor win in the Oscars, have stronger box office legs than what was expected.
In other news, the film has already opened in a handful of countries on March 23, Wednesday, earning a total of $7 million from 5,900 screens in 12 countries. It has also set 2016 opening records in Spain ($1.8 million), France ($1.7 million), Italy ($1.1 million) and Norway ($501k), Forbes reported.
It is predicted to perform well in Israel, as well, as former Miss Israel, Gal Gadot, played Wonder Woman in the film.
"Batman v Superman" will serve as a precursor to the upcoming "Justice League Part One," which is slated to start its production in April. Watch the trailer here: