Time Warner Wins & Loses With 'Suicide Squad'

Investors in Time Warner Inc TWX ran the full roller-coaster of emotions over the weekend as its newest DC Comics-based film debuted.

The good news is Warner Bros. "Suicide Squad" dominated overall with $135 million in earnings. That means a new record for an August launch (topping "Guardian of the Galaxy's" $94.3 million) and a personal high for lead Will Smith, who after a series of bombs finally once again opened a film to tentpole status. All told, the film earned $267 million from nearly 60 territories included $132 million in international earnings.

Related Link: Social Media Data Suggested Time Warner's Suicide Squad Could Get Record Audiences

The bad news is the film fell sharply from Friday to Saturday on bad word of mouth and negative reviews. Cinemascore, the leading source of audience feedback, registered the film earned a "B+" from moviegoers. Most superhero films end up somewhere in the "A" range.

The negativity surrounding the film caused a Friday to Saturday drop over 40 percent, though to be fair some of that accounts from its massive Thursday night preview showings.

However, analysts are noting one big win for Warner Bros. did come despite the mixed bag of news; the studio crosses the $1 billion mark in total earnings for 2016. The studio has now hit that milestone every year for the last 16 years, something no other studio can claim.