'The Lost City' Could End Batman's Reign

For three weeks, The Batman has had the box office virtually to itself, and the movie has had no trouble staying on top of the charts. However, this week the superhero movie will finally face some serious competition in the form of The Lost City, a Sandra Bullock-starring action movie that's getting positive advance reaction. The Batman looks to wind down its run and become the third-best-selling of all the many, many Batman movies. Read on for details.

Via Box Office Mojo.

The Batman crossed $300 million domestic on Sunday and $600 million worldwide earlier this week, and it will soon fly past the grosses of Batman v Superman ($330 million) and Joker ($335 million) to become the third highest grossing Batman film domestically behind The Dark Knight ($535 million) and The Dark Knight Rises ($448 million). The Robert Pattinson starring reboot doesn’t seem likely to pass TDKR, but ending up as the biggest non-Nolan Batman film is a nice feather in its cap, as is being the second biggest pandemic-era film. There has been little else going on at the box office this month, but after three weeks of total dominance, The Batman finally faces a formidable box office challenger this weekend.

Though it could be a tight race, we’re expecting Paramount’s star-studded adventure rom-com The Lost City to dethrone the caped crusader for the number one spot, and the studio predicts an opening that falls in the low to mid 20s. Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum star in what could be called “Uncharted for Women,” which features supporting roles by Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Directing and co-writing are Aaron and Adam Nee, who made the well received indies The Last Romantic and Band of Robbers and are set to helm a live-action Masters of the Universe film for Netflix. The Lost City, which reportedly cost $68 million, opens in 4,248 locations and could be the right film to bring back the adult female audience, which few recent big releases have targeted, though it should have a broader appeal as well.

In the film, Bullock plays an adventure-romance novelist named Loretta whose Indiana Jones-esque stories star a dreamy, long-haired treasure hunter named Dash. Dash is portrayed on the books’ covers by a model Loretta can’t stand named Alan (played by Tatum) who has the looks but not the wits. When an eccentric billionaire (Radcliffe) kidnaps Loretta to help him search for the treasure featured in her latest book, Alan tries to prove himself by coming to her rescue.

Unlike the more middling reviews of recent adventure films Uncharted and Jungle Cruise, the critical response for The Lost City is upbeat (79% on Rotten Tomatoes), and a similarly positive audience response could translate to a strong multiple, especially as none of the big April releases look to scratch the same itch. The film also opens in 16 smaller markets this weekend, but April 15 is when the rollout in major international markets will start.

Get the rest of the story at Box Office Mojo.