In what’s probably been the most nerve-racking week ever for Warner Bros. executives, it looks like there will be light at the end of the tunnel for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. At least on terms of opening weekend box office returns. The film – which for the first time, unites the DC Comics titans – brought in an estimated $27.7 million in ticket sales for Thursday evening preview performances. That’s more than Avengers: Age of Ultron brought in on Thursday sneaks last summer and just slightly below what The Dark Knight Rises earned when released in July 2012.

If the box office continues to at this level, Batman v Superman may bring between $157 million-$170 million; Warner Bros. previously projected, rather conservatively that the superhero showdown would earn about $140 million this weekend. That would be the largest Easter weekend in box office history as well as the largest pre-summer opening. The first Hunger Games currently holds that record, the franchise starter opened with $152 million in March 2012. At any rate, the film will most certainly best the June 2013 launch of Man of Steel, which minted $128 million on its opening weekend.

A sigh of relief for Warner Bros., at least for now, as Batman v Superman is a massive property for the studio and the movie that has several sequels and spin-offs already in the works. More so in the wake of the film’s less than stellar reviews. We shall stay tuned to how high Batman v Superman can soar over the weekend. Have you seen it?