But what is more impressive is that it’s only the second pandemic-era movie to cross the US$100 million mark in a single weekend, a feat first achieved by “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which launched in December to a historic US$260 million.

Thanks to positive reviews, strong reception from ticket buyers, and high levels of intrigue to see Pattinson’s moody take on the caped crusader, “The Batman” is shaping up to be a commercial winner for Warner Bros. That’s good news because the studio shelled out a hefty US$200 million to produce the film, and spent many millions more in marking and distribution costs.

“The Batman” also likely benefited because the comic-book adaptation is playing exclusively in cinemas, and only lands on HBO Max in 45 days.

It’s impossible to know the box office impact of putting movies day-and-date on streaming, but “The Batman” has generated more money in its opening weekend than any other Warner Bros pandemic movie in their entire theatrical runs.

Prior to “The Batman,” the studio’s highest grossing movies since March 2020 were “Godzilla vs. Kong” (US$100 million in North America) and “Dune” (US$109 million in North America).

Prior to this weekend, the Tom Holland video-game adaptation “Uncharted” held the title for the biggest opening weekend of the year with US$44 million in initial sales. In second place, the film pocketed US$10 million from 3,875 cinemas between Friday and Sunday, pushing “Uncharted” past US$100 million at the domestic box office.

Channing Tatum’s canine adventure “Dog” landed at No. 3 with US$6 million from 3,507 theaters. The road-trip buddy comedy continues to surprise, crossing US$40 million in North America over the weekend – a promising result for a US$15 million-budgeted film.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” and Kenneth Branagh’s “Death on the Nile” took spots four and five on the domestic box office charts.