‘Batman v Superman’ Box Office: ‘Dawn Of Justice’ Holds On To No. 1 Spot, But Is Falling Fast

The blistering opening weekend of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" seemed to silence critics who had given Warner Bros.' Ben Affleck-anchored Batman film overwhelmingly negative reviews. A week later, the box office seems to be better reflect that more mediocre response.

"Batman v Superman" pulled in $52.4 million over the weekend, according to Deadline Hollywood, bringing its total domestic gross to almost $262 million. That total is nothing to sneeze at, but the film's lackluster weekend marks one of the largest second-weekend drop-offs for a superhero movie in history. Its 68 percent fall from its opening-weekend gross is a much steeper decline than many of its recent competitors in the genre.

The movie's opening weekend seemed to suggest a brighter box-office future. "Batman v Superman" grossed $166 million in the U.S. alone. The $424.1 million the movie earned globally made it the fourth-biggest opening weekend of all time, behind just 2015's “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Jurassic World” and 2011's “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.”

After its second-weekend plunge, "Batman v Superman" should no longer be expected to break any further box-office records. However, its opening weekend gives the film some wiggle room to avoid being a disappointment for Warner Bros. The studio's “Deathly Hallows: Part 2" recovered from a 72 percent second-weekend crash to become the highest-grossing installment of the "Harry Potter" franchise.

Elsewhere at the box office, "Zootopia" came in at number two, raking in just under $21 million to bring its total to almost $277 million domestically. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" was third with just over $11 million and fourth was the faith-based "God's Not Dead 2," which pulled in $8.3 million in its opening weekend.