‘300: Rise Of An Empire’ Tops Friday Box Office, Grosses $20 Million Overseas

300: Rise of an Empire is taking a lashing from critics, but that isn’t stopping the long-awaited sequel from making a killing at the box office.

Although it’s been seven years since director Zack Snyder’s 300 successfully stormed into theaters around the world, this isn’t stopping moviegoers from checking out the follow-up. According to industry analysts, the movie is well on its way to making a ton of cash over the weekend.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that 300: Rise of an Empire earned approximately $17.7 million from ticket sales on Friday alone. If business continues to move at this rate, analysts believe the 300 sequel could make upwards of $42 million when the weekend wraps up.

Although Man of Steel mastermind Zack Snyder helmed to the first installment, Warner Bros. ultimately tapped Smart People director Noam Murro to step behind the camera for 300: Rise of an Empire. However, Snyder worked alongside writer Kurt Johnstad to adapt Frank Miller’s graphic novel Xerxes.

Check out the film’s official synopsis:

“This new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemesia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy.”

In addition to making a surprising amount of money from moviegoers in the United States, the 300 sequel also made a ton of cash from audiences in foreign markets. According to The Wrap, Rise of an Empire generated an extremely healthy $20.2 million overseas in the span of 24 hours.

All of this business effectively pushes its worldwide total to around $50.2 million. This means 300: Rise of an Empire is well on its way to recouping its $100 million budget. Chances are some of the executives over at Warner Bros. are doing a few happy dances right about now.

Unfortunately, not everyone walked away from the Friday box office with a serious wad of cash tucked tightly in their bank accounts. Box Office Mojo reports that 20th Century Fox’s $145 million animated flick Mr. Peabody & Sherman could only muster $8 million in ticket sales. Considering the popularity of other family-friend endeavors in recent weeks, the studio was likely hoping for a much bigger payout.

However, 20th Century Fox managed to score a hit with the religious flick Son of God. The movie earned an additional $2.7 million on Friday from moviegoers looking for an alternative to the typical Hollywood fare. This brings the movie’s domestic total to $34 million.

Did you catch 300: Rise of an Empire in theaters on Friday?

[Image via Collider]