Wonder Woman’s record-breaking $300 million opening weekend

After winning over critics and fans on social media, it’s also racked up in the one arena where it really matters: The box office.

The superhero epic made $135.4 million ($US100.5m) in its opening weekend in the US. It set a record for the biggest opening weekend for a female-directed film, a record previously held by 50 Shades of Grey.

Wonder Woman made an additional $165.1 million ($US122.5m) across 55 territories internationally for a total of $300 million in box office receipts in its first few days of release.

Wonder Woman also beat the opening weekends for other superhero movies including both Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy movies, as well as Man of Steeland the first two Iron Man films.

It had a budget of $US150 million before marketing and promotional costs.

Wonder Woman was a refreshingly beloved release for DC and Warner Bros. whose first three releases were universally panned by critics.

Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, the film is a WWI-set origin story for the superhero.

The character was first introduced in last year’s Batman v Superman and will also star in the first Justice League film to be released later this year.

The box office result, coupled with its critical praise, is a reassuring boost for female-led superhero blockbusters. Wonder Woman is the first since 2004’s Catwoman and 2005’s Elektra — those dual disasters are blamed for studio bosses’ reticence for putting a female character at the centre of a film in the money-spinning genre.

There is a Captain Marvel film due for release in 2019 starring Oscar winner brie Larson and a Batgirl movie in the works to be helmed by Joss Whedon.

Wonder Woman is the first film in the DC Extended Universe franchise, which started with 2013’s Man of Steel, to receive a “fresh” rating on reviews aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. It’s currently sitting on a score of 93 across 245 reviews.

Man of Steel managed a score of 55 while Batman v Superman was tagged with only a 27 and Suicide Squad even worse still at 25.

While Batman vs Superman had a bigger US opening weekend at $US166 million, the movie suffered a precipitous 68 per cent drop in the second week after scathing word-of-mouth. BvS cleaned up $US855 million in the end but industry insiders said that was the mark it had to hit to break even after production and marketing costs.

Australia-specific box office results won’t be known for a few days.