‘The Batman’ tops box office race

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The latest reboot in the Batman franchise has given the box office a much-needed kickstart.

“The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson, grossed an estimated $128.5 million over the weekend to lead all movies in North America. That’s well above what Warner Bros. estimated it would do in its debut weekend.

It’s also the best opening weekend of any movie so far this year. But it’s less than half what “Spider-Man: No Way Home” posted in its opening weekend when it took in $260 million in December.

Meanwhile, “The Batman” grossed $0 in Russia, because Warner Bros. blocked its release after Moscow invaded Ukraine. Other studios have also refused to release their movies in Russia in response to the war on Ukraine.