BOX OFFICE REPORT (JUNE 14-16): Superman Flies Again As 'Man of Steel' Sets June Opening Weekend Record

Thirty-five years after Superman first hit the big screen, Man of Steel finally made the godfather of all superheroes a blockbuster franchise again. Bringing in $125.08 million during its opening weekend, Man of Steel set a record for a June opening. It's worth noting that $12 million of this amount came from non-midnight Thursday screenings, but Popculturology is going to count that as part of the weekend. Man of Steel more than doubled the Superman franchise's previous best opening weekend, topping Superman Returns' $52.54 million debut in 2006. The film's opening weekend also instantly resulted in Man of Steel outgrossing Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

Beyond the top five, Iron Man 3 brought in $2.91 to bring the movie's total up to $299.61, just a few bucks away from crossing the $300 million mark. Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring debuted on five screens, bringing in a whopping $42,000 per screen.

1. Man of Steel (N)
$125.08 million ($125.08 million)
Man of Steel's $125.08 million set a few records this past weekend. Not only is it the biggest June opening in history, topping Toy Story 3's $110.31 million, but also becoming the biggest non-Batman opening for DC Comics. While Marvel has cranked out a bunch of $100-plus opening weekends, Man of Steel was only the third for DC Comics, joining The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. The film's opening weekend blew away everything director Zack Snyder previously did, outgrossing the lifetime box office receipts of Watchmen, Sucker Punch and Dawn of the Dead.

2. This Is the End (N)

$20.50 million ($32.80 million)

When your movie costs only $32 million to make, a five-day gross of $32.80 million is pretty fantastic. While This Is the End didn't take the No. 1 spot at the box office, it was still able to ride an early release and super-strong word of  mouth to the No. 2 spot. This Is the End is by far the funniest movie I've seen in 2013, and I think we'll see it stick around for the next few weekends.

3. Now You See Me (3)

$10.32 million ($80.01 million)
Now You See Me had the lowest percentage drop of any of the top five, allowing the movie to hold steady at No. 3. There's a very good chance Now You See Me could pass $100 million domestically.

4. Fast and Furious 6 (2)

$9.43 million ($219.57 million)
Fast and Furious 6 is now the highest grossing moving in the Fast and Furious franchise, slipping past Fast Five's $209.84 million.

5. The Purge (1)

$8.20 million ($51.85 million)

Yikes. The Purge went from being the top film at the box office last weekend to No. 5 this weekend. While I didn't catch The Purge myself, it sounds like moviegoers weren't quite pleased that the movie's marketing campaign didn't quite match the actual movie.

Next week's predictions:

1. Man of Steel

2. Monsters University

3. World War Z

4. This Is the End

5. Now You See Me

SOURCE: Box Office Mojo