People seem to really like this Superman guy.

Numbers for early Thursday night Man of Steel box office opening domestic showings have rolled in, with the film raking in about $21M in one night. Not sure how many theaters comprised that number versus a full U.S. opening today, but I am grumbling a bit because there was no Thursday night or Friday midnight showing in my neck of the woods. Grumble. Nope, no early Wal-Mart, WB or midnight screenings for this guy – which is where that $21M came from. This ranks Man of Steel 3rd all-time behind Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The Dark Knight Rises for highest late-night opening grosses.

All signs are pointing right now to an $80-$100M Man of Steel box office opening weekend, which is not too shabby. Warner Bros. is hoping for the high-end but stating expectations at the low-end right now. The studio’s faith may have been shaken slightly as they watched the Tomatometer fall from the high 90% range down to the high 50s (sitting at 58% as of this writing) as more reviews started rolling in. Audience approval currently sits at 82% for those tracking at home. All jokes about grouchy, out-of-touch critics aside, this type of opening bodes well for future sequels and that Justice League thing everybody keeps talking about.

Source: Deadline