‘Watchmen’ May Open With $60 Million, Lift Sales for Fifth Week

"Watchmen," Hollywood's dark take on the comic-book superhero genre, may surpass $60 million in ticket sales in its debut, lifting box-office revenue for a fifth consecutive weekend.

The R-rated movie from Time Warner Inc., based on the 1986 graphic novel, is this week's only new wide release. With no competition, "Watchmen" may take in as much as $64 million, estimates Gitesh Pandya, editor of Box Office Guru LLC. Analyst Steve Mason at Big Hollywood.com projects $63 million.

"Watchmen" will open in 3,611 U.S. and Canadian theaters, the most for any R-rated movie, said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.' president for domestic theatrical distribution. The studio's "300," also based on a graphic novel, holds the record for the biggest March open with $70.9 million in 2007, according to researcher Box Office Mojo LLC. Zack Snyder directed both films.

"Because it's based on an acclaimed graphic novel, it will bring in a lot of the older audience," Chuck Walton, editor at online ticket vendor Fandango, said in an interview. "The R rating is an attraction because they know it will be faithful to the book."

As of yesterday, "Watchmen" accounted for 91 percent of Fandango's current sales.

"Watchmen" was named by Time magazine as one of the best novels of all time. The story, set during a time of tense Cold War relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, follows superheroes as they uncover a deadly conspiracy.

An R rating means no one under the age of 17 can be admitted unless accompanied by an adult.

"Watchmen's" release includes 124 Imax Corp. theaters in the U.S., compared with 62 when "300" opened in 2007, Imax Chairman Greg Foster said in an interview.

'300' Repeat?

"300," about the ancient battle between Spartans and Persians helped establish Imax as an outlet for the darker comic- based movies, Foster said. The film, also rated R, went on to take in $456 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Watchmen" opened today. Critics' reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site have been 45 percent positive. Viewers not familiar with the book may have trouble following the movie's complex narrative, according to the site.

"We have a history with Zack Snyder with '300,'" Foster said. "It made consumers start asking exhibitors and suggesting to anyone who would listen that Imax was the place to see cool movies."

Meeting Pandya and Mason's estimates would give "Watchmen" this year's biggest open so far, ahead of "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail." The comedy from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. has been No. 1 for two weeks, generating $67 million including $41 million its first weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.

As of March 1, movie attendance was up about 16 percent this year, according to Los Angeles-based Media By Numbers. Ticket sales climbed 17 percent to $1.79 billion. source>>>

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