'Batman v Superman' box office tops 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' on Thursday night

Not even poor reviews could keep fans away from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on Thursday night.

Zack Snyder’s superhero showdown scored an estimated $27.7 million in ticket sales, a record for Easter weekend pre-show sales, and better than last year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron managed in its first night in theaters.

Last May, Age of Ultron earned $26.6 million on its opening night, en route to $191.2 million in total first-weekend grosses. If Batman v Superman follows a similar path, it would break records for the largest March opening ever and the biggest DC Comics adaptation of all time, besting even Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films.

Back in 2013, Snyder’s first DC film, Man of Steel, earned $12 million in its first day of release, and had grossed more than $128 million in total by the close of its first weekend.

It was expected Batman v Superman would gross north of $150 million during its opening weekend.