Matt Reeves’ The Batman has now become the second-best HBO Max release after it garnered 4.1 Million viewers among the United States households. This continues The Batman’s success from its theatrical run where it grossed more than $750 Million at the global box office while wrapping up $365 Million the stateside. With 4.1 M viewers in the US, The Batman lies just behind the first-week viewership of Mortal Kombat which garnered 4.3 million viewers in the same time interval.

The first-week viewership for The Batman on HBO Max surpassed that of every DC Entertainment project. Previously, The Suicide Squad was watched by 3.5 Million, while Wonder Woman 1984 was watched by 3.2 million people in the first week of release on the HBO Max. The film also surpassed the first week's viewership of Matrix: Resurrections and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune which 2.3 Million viewers watched in that same period of time.

Furthermore, the film also surpassed the first-week viewership of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which, unlike the other films mentioned above, was straight to the HBO Max release. The high anticipation surrounding that film given the long-lasting campaign behind it, Zack Snyder’s Justice League was viewed by 2.2 Million U.S subscribers in the first week. But Batman seems to have almost doubled those figures as well.

With this, The Batman has surpassed most of Warner Bros.'s day and date releases from the year 2021. These films were released simultaneously in theaters and HBO Max during the pandemic in order for the studio to balance revenue between restricted, limited screenings in theaters as well as HBO Max.

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The 45-Day Theatrical Release Window Seems to Work for WB

An original image of the DC logo over three movie titles-- Man of Steel, Justice League, and The Suicide Squad
Warner Bros. Pictures

Earlier in 2021, the studio opted for a day & date release for its films slated to release in the last year. But, that changed in 2022, when Warner Bros. returned to exclusive theatrical releases. Per this new decision, the studio would allow for a 45-days theatre-exclusive release for its films before it debuts on HBO Max for streaming. And that has to work best for the studio.

The Batman was the studio’s first theatrical release from 2022 to debut on HBO Max. Its other films Kimi and Moonshot were released directly on the streaming platform. So, The Batman was sort of an experiment for the studio to figure out if returns from the decision to give films a 45-days theatrical window were viable. And turns out, it’s all for profit.

The Batman first created success on the theatrical front and the current reception it has received on HBO Max is also remarkable.

Now that Warner Bros. is looking forward to several major releases in the coming months, The Batman would be seen as proof of evidence as the studio try to replicate those films’ success both in theatres and on HBO Max. Some of those releases include Black Adam, Evil Dead Rise, and Elvis. While Batgirl may also shift from a direct HBO Max release to a theatrical one, its other releases, Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom and The Flash have been delayed until later in 2023.

This news comes to us from Deadline.