Box Office

Watchmen Breaks $24M in 24 Hours

Widest-ever release for an R-rated film.

They don't just leap tall buildings in a single bound: Superheroes earn big, too. In its first day in theaters, Watchmen earned $24.9 million on Friday. The CGI-heavy flick hit 3,611 locations on its first day, setting the record for the widest-ever release for an R-rated movie. Director Zack Snyder's last blockbluster, 300, earned a hefty $28.1 million the day of its release, although it had fewer people lined up for its first midnight screenings and was also 45 minutes shorter. Box office watchers are now waiting to see if Watchmen can beat 300's massive first-weekend gross of $70.9 million—and if any movie will get close to Slumdog Millionaire's decidedly un-slummy gross intake which passed $120 million mark this week, and it's still in theaters.