It doesn't hit wide-release until this Friday, but reports are beginning to roll in that "Watchmen" is already a certified record-breaker.
In addition to yesterday's report that "Watchmen" stands poised to be Zack Snyder's most successful film to date, today, The Hollywood Reporter delivers news that -- with 1,600 locations showing the film starting at midnight tonight -- it's also the most theaters ever to show an R-rated film. To put that into perspective, Snyder's previous comic book flick, "300", opened to 656 Thursday-at-midnight showings.
Meanwhile, with that record in the bag, the folks over at SlashFilm.com did some anonymous-insider number-crunching to get predictions on just how much "Watchmen" could bring home over when its opening weekend receipts are tallied. Their best guesstimates after the jump.
According to numerous Hollywood execs polled by SlashFilm, "Watchmen" looks to make anywhere between $55 and as high as $70-$75 million (guessed by "one exec at a competing studio") in the coming three days. The number "Watchmen" fans and Warner Bros. executives will be watching is $70.8 million, which would top "300" as the top all-time March opening take.
In any case, the signs are looking good for "Watchmen" to do some serious money-making over the weekend, as IMAX Filmed Entertainment president Greg Foster was quick to point out that IMAX's website crashed four times during this week after being flooded by fans looking for info on tickets to midnight screenings.
How much do you think "Watchmen" will pull in this weekend? Let's hear some predictions in the comments!