‘Wonder Woman’ surpasses ‘Iron Man 3’ at US box office

Image: Warner Bros.

The DC Extended Universe’s highest grossing movie has also become the United States box office’s 5th biggest superhero movie of all time, thanks to its Labor Day weekend haul.

Starring Gal Gadot in the lead role and released to U.S. theaters on June 2, a $103 million first weekend for “Wonder Woman” gave it the highest-grossing domestic opening ever, as far as female-directed films are concerned, surpassing the $85 million attained by 2015 film “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

Three weeks later, Patty Jenkins’ blockbuster had become the world’s highest grossing, live-action female directed film worldwide, with a global box office of $635 million besting 2008’s “Mamma Mia”.

Now, with a Labor Day weekend haul of $2.5 million, a “Wonder Woman” U.S. tally of $409.5 million has exceeded the $409 million of 2013’s “Iron Man 3”, making it the 5th biggest superhero film in history, according to domestic U.S. box office records (though unadjusted for inflation).

Ahead in the subgenre ranking, according to figures from Box Office Mojo, are “Marvel’s The Avengers” (released 2012, making $623 million in U.S. theaters), “The Dark Knight” (2008, $534 million), “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($2015, $459 million), and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012, $448 million).

The movie had returned to additional theaters over the week of August 25, ahead of a rental debut on August 30 and a planned DVD and Blu-Ray release from September 19, 2017.

A sequel has been announced for December 2019, after Gal Gadot reprises her role in the November 17, 2017 ensemble movie “Justice League”.

Jenkins, who previously won an Independent Spirit Award for her first and previous film “Monster” in 2004, is writing the story with DC Comics president Geoff Johns, and is expected to direct. JB

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