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Box-Office Milestone: 'Wonder Woman' Crosses $400M in North America
The femme-centric superhero film has defied all expectations since debuting in early June.
Wonder Woman muscled past the $400 million mark Tuesday at the domestic box office — an increasingly difficult feat for any film to achieve in North America.
Directed by Patty Jenkins, the summer hit is a major, and much needed, victory for Warner Bros. and the DC Extended Universe of superhero films.
The femme-centric superhero tentpole, starring Gal Gadot, has smashed a number of records since first hitting theaters in early June, including becoming the top-grossing live-action film of all time from a female helmer, with more than $795 million in global grosses.
More recently, Wonder Woman became the top grossing title of summer 2017 in North America and the No. 2 film of the year domestically behind another female-led movie, Disney's Beauty and the Beast ($504 million).
While certainly no slouch, Wonder Wonder hasn't been as big overseas in comparison to its domestic strength. To date, it is the No. 5 title of the year on a global basis behind Beauty ($1.26 billion), The Fate of the Furious ($1.24 billion), Despicable Me 3 ($881.5 million) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($861.4 million).
In North America, Wonder Woman has enjoyed the best hold of any superhero in decades, or 3.8 times its opening gross of $103.3 million, besting the first Spider-Man in 2002. Gadot stars opposite Chris Pine in the tentpole.
Regarding where it ranks on the chart of superhero films, Wonder Woman is the No. 8 comic book adaptation of all time domestically, not accounting for inflation. And if it can pass up the $403.7 million grossed by Spider-Man in 2002, it will rest at No. 7. Marvel's The Avengers is the record holder with $623.4 million, followed by The Dark Knight ($534.9 million). Otherwise, no superhero movie has scaled the $500 million threshold.
And Wonder Woman is Warner Bros.' third-biggest movie domestically behind The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises ($448.1 million) after passing up the final Harry Potter film ($381 million), American Sniper ($350.1 million) and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ($330.4 million), again not adjusting for inflation.
“When Wonder Woman opened to such a terrific number in June, we thought, ‘This is truly a moment' — for the film, for our industry, for director Patty Jenkins and, of course, for Gal Gadot," stated Sue Kroll, president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Warner Bros. "Now, more than two months later, Wonder Woman has become a phenomenon, the must-see movie of the summer. Audiences have embraced this character and her story in such a spectacular fashion, and we couldn’t be happier for everyone involved in bringing this incredible property to life and to cinemas across the country."
Gadot is returning for a Wonder Woman sequel, which has received a release date of Dec. 13, 2019. Talks with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins are ongoing, although her involvement in the sequel hasn't been officially announced.
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