The LEGO Batman Movie tops US weekend box office

The LEGO Batman Movie opened to $55.6 million in its first weekend at US cinemas, ahead of the critically reviled Fifty Shades Darker, which took $46.8 million. In the world of box office projections, the story has become that The LEGO Batman Movie has under performed, as it was expected to land somewhere between $60 and 70 million. Conversely, Fifty Shades Darker was expected to struggle to achieve $40 million, meaning it exceeded expectations. The Hollywood Reporter note that The LEGO Batman Movie failes to match the opening weekend takings of the franchise's first release.

Lego Batman paced 20 percent behind The Lego Movie, which opened to $69 million in early February 2014.

Part of the lower-than-projected takings has been attributed to the weather.

Bad weather on the East Coast might have impacted Lego Batman in particular. The spinoff, directed by Chris McKay, features Will Arnett voicing the role of the tiny Caped Crusader as the superhero tries to find himself and save Gotham City from a hostile takeover by The Joker (Zach Galifianakis). The voice cast also includes Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes. The critically acclaimed movie received an A- from audiences.

"The weather brought us in lower. We saw it throughout the weekend," said Warners distribution chief Jeff Goldstein. "Still, this is a tremendous result for a spinoff movie in the Lego franchise universe.

The LEGO Batman Movie is now on general release. The LEGO Batman Movie range of LEGO sets are currently available to buy at shop.LEGO.com. Check back regularly at Brick Fanatics for plenty more The LEGO Batman Movie content.