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BEVERLY HILLS, CA, JUNE 17th 2013 - Harkness Screens, the world's leading manufacturer of cinema screens and front and rear projection surfaces for live events such as concerts, theatre productions and outdoor screenings has provided its popular Stagelite White/Black surface for the forthcoming Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Oscars Outdoors" summer series.

The 40' x 22.5' black bordered Stagelite White/Black 100 screen has been installed at the Academy's open-air theater at its 7.5-acre campus on Vine Street in the heart of Hollywood.

"We were delighted to supply the Stagelite White/Black surface for the festival, says Keith Watanabe, Americas Sales Director at Harkness Screens. "The Academy has always set the benchmark for film presentation and doubtless the festival will once again prove to be a major success with impeccable projection".

Stagelite White event screens are flexible PVC front projection surfaces available as made up screens or off roll. Stagelite White 100 and Stagelite White 100 Super are general purpose contrast screen intended for a variety of auditoria, generally in dark conditions. Stagelite White/Black 100 is similar to Matt White 100 with a black reverse side for blocking ambient light behind the screen.

For more information on Oscars Outdoors, visit www.oscars.org/outdoors.

About Harkness Screens
Harkness Screens^TM is the world's largest manufacturer of projection screen surfaces, specialising in the design and production of cinema screens and custom screens of virtually any shape and size. Harkness Screens is the world leader in cinema with screens in more cinemas worldwide than any other manufacturer. From single-screen independent theatres to large multiplexes to large format immersive theatre experiences or live events, Harkness supplies thousands of screens every year for cinema, film production, special effects, live events and custom AV applications.
Founded in 1929, Harkness' corporate office is located in Ireland with other offices and factories located in the USA, UK, France and China. Harkness Screens combines unrivalled experience with the latest technology and production methods to provide innovative solutions to the company's key markets worldwide. For more information, visit the Harkness Screens web page at www.harkness-screens.com.
# # #
CONTACT:
Richard Mitchell
Harkness Screens
Unit A, Norton Road
Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2BB UK
Tel: +44 (0)1438 725200
Email: r.mitchell@harkness-screens.com
Web: www.harkness-screens.com

COLUMBUS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Carmike Cinemas, Inc. (NASDAQ: CKEC), a leading entertainment, digital cinema and 3-D motion picture exhibitor, today announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer, David Passman, has received the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Award for the Southeast US Region. The Award in the ‘Leadership' category was presented to Mr. Passman at a black-tie gala awards banquet held earlier this month.

"Carmike has been on a journey in recent years that has seen our organization make tremendous strides both financially and operationally," stated Mr. Passman. "The Ernst & Young Award is an acknowledgment of the tremendous team effort at Carmike as we have successfully transitioned to a growth mode focused on further expanding our theatrical circuit to 300 locations and 3000 screens. Prior to embarking on this expansion, we successfully completed our previous corporate goals of strengthening the Company's balance sheet and significantly improving theatre-level operations, positioning us for future growth."

Having been honored in the Southeast Region, David Passman is now eligible for the National Entrepreneur of the Year® Award, which will be presented at a Forum to be held later this year.

About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award recognizes the significant contributions of entrepreneurs who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.

About Carmike Cinemas (www.carmike.com)

Carmike Cinemas, Inc. is a U.S. leader in digital cinema and 3-D cinema deployments and one of the nation's largest motion picture exhibitors. As of March 31, 2013, Carmike had 244 theatres with 2,464 screens in 35 states. Carmike's digital cinema footprint reached 2,369 screens, including 232 theatres with 869 screens that are also equipped for 3-D. The circuit also includes 18 "Big D" large format digital experience auditoriums, featuring state-of-the-art equipment and luxurious seating and 7 IMAX® auditoriums. As "America's Hometown Theatre Chain," Carmike's primary focus for its locations is small to mid-sized communities.

Warner Brothers is enjoying a great Fathers' Day weekend after three of its releases hit major milestones at the global box office. This weekend saw the Man of Steel premiere go day-and-date in 24 overseas markets and gross $196 million globally. The opening weekend take is nearly half of the $391 million global gross of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns.

Two other Warner Brothers films broke the $300 million global mark this weekend. The Hangover Part III reached a $201.8 million overseas cume after a $17.5 million weekend from 56 markets. The comedy is scoring big totals in several important markets that include the United Kingdom ($27.4M), Germany ($24.9M), Australia ($19.7M), Russia ($17M), Italy ($15.4M), Brazil ($13.4M), and France ($13M). The global total for The Hangover Part III currently stands at $309.7 million.

The Great Gatsby is the second WB release to have reached $300 million worldwide this weekend. The Baz Luhrman adaptation starring Leonardo Di Caprio grossed $9.9 million from 58 markets over the weekend to raise its overseas total to $160.3 million. The film opened #1 in Japan with $2.1 million. Top markets for The Great Gatsby include high totals from the United Kingdom ($22.4M), Australia ($18.5m), Russia ($16.7M), France ($13.9M), and Germany ($13.8M). The global total for The Great Gatsby is $300.2 million.    

Star Trek Into Darkness also hit an important milestone over the weekend after soaring past the $400 million global mark. A $17 million weekend with openings in Brazil, Italy, and France had the sci-fi film cross $200 million overseas with big markets like Spain and Japan still on the horizon. Currently posting a $201.7 million overseas total, Star Trek Into Darkness has already outgrossed the lifetime overseas gross of its predecessor by 60%. Star Trek Into Darkness opened at #1 in France with $3.5 million, a promising start but still less than After Earth's debut from the previous week. The Star Trek sequel also opened atop the Italian box office, bringing in $1.5 million from 398 locations. The film is already 70% ahead of its predecessor's Brazilian cume after a splendid $3.1 million opening weekend in Brazil. The Brazilian gross is even more impressive, as the country's media coverage has largely focused on local protests and the country's Confederations Cup soccer tournament. Star Trek Into Darkness has a global total of $412.1 million.      

Fast & Furious 6 became the highest grossing film in its franchise this weekend after reaching a $417.3 million overseas total and $636.9 million cume. It surpassed Fast Five's global record of $628 million. The action franchise still has three more territories left to open:Venezuela on June 21, Japan on July 6, and a yet-to-be confirmed China release on July 26. 

The Internship took in $5.1 million from 19 markets. The box office woes have gone global for the Fox comedy starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, who were unable to place above third in Australia or Russia, its first pair of major markets. The comedy took in $2.2 million in Australia and $1.4 million from Russia. The grosses aren't a disappointment by any means, but do cast doubt on the chances a global run could help overcome the film's lackluster North American performance. The Internship will open in Sweden and Poland next weekend with 12 additional markets to follow during the last week of June. 

After Earth is showing strength despite an uncomfortable release window that has it facing premieres from Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness. The film took the top spot in Belgium and the Netherlands, beating Star Trek's opening weekend gross in both countries. A $2 million hold-over weekend in France took its French total to $6.7 million following this weekend's premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness. The Star Trek sequel beat After Earth in France this weekend but was unable to match After Earth's $4 million debut frame, according to our source at Sony. After Earth went head to head with The Internship in Australia and lost, taking in $1.9 million in its Australian debut. A Scandinavian release saw the film open in #1 in Norway and Finland as well as taking the top spot in Sweden for the second consecutive week. Man of Steel bumped the Smith father-son picture to second place in Mexico with a $2.6 million weekend and $10 million territory cume. After Earth also faced off against Superman in the U.K. with similar results, taking in $1.8 million in second place for a $7.3 million U.K. total. Other top markets for After Earth in its second weekend include Russia ($2.6M Weekend / $14.7M Total), Germany ($1.2M Weekend / $3.5M Total), and Brazil ($1.1M Weekend / $4.3M Total). The sci-fi adventure has grossed a much needed $91.1 million overseas to take its global cume to $145.3 million.

An $8 million dollar weekend abroad helped Epic reach a $119 million overseas total. The tally includes a #1 opening in South Africa and strong hold-overs from the United Kingdom ($1.2M Weekend / $18.8M Total) and Russia ($1M Weekend / $14M Total). The film outperformed its previous weekend in the U.K. by 23% in its fourth week in release. Epic has grossed $214.5 million worldwide. The animated film will open in Australia on June 27.

The Purge reached a $6.7 million overseas total from seven territories, taking its early global tally to $58.54 million. The slow overseas release of the Ethan Hawke thriller continued this weekend with openings in Germany, Russia, Austria, German-Switzerland, and Serbia/Montenegro. The film failed to gain as much traction as it had in its North American debut, coming in on fourth place in Germany with $1 million from 264 screens. It fared worse in Russia with a seventh place finish after grossing $540k from 350 locations. The Purge opens in Egypt on June 26, Lebanon and the U.A.E. on June 27, and Romania on June 28.  

Oblivion looks like it might get to $200 million overseas after all. Another great performance in Japan ($1.1 million in its third weekend) helped the Tom Cruise sci-fi film reach $194 million oversea. The North American $88.8 million cume has stalled the film's global total at $282.8 million. 

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is winding down its overseas run with a good streak in Japan. The film grossed $1.3 million in its second weekend in the country, taking its overseas cume to $247.3 million. The global total for the action film is $369.4 million. 

Follow Daniel Loria and BoxOffice on Twitter for more news on the global box office.

San Francisco and Knoxville, Tenn., June 14, 2013-Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), a leading motion picture exhibitor that owns and operates the largest theatre circuit in the United States, announced today that Regal recently installed Dolby® AtmosTM in 20 of its big-screen RPX®: Regal Premium Experience theatres.

"Dolby Atmos is a great new addition to what makes movie theatre sound such a superior environment for viewing films, and it enhances the immersive experience," stated Rob Del Moro, Chief Purchasing Officer, Regal Entertainment Group. "We're all familiar with the evolution of image clarity that came with digital cinema. Now, Dolby Atmos can provide greater definition and dimension to moviegoing as sound moves around the auditorium with precision placement to match the action as the filmmakers intended."

Dolby's new audio platform has been quickly adopted by major studios, directors, and sound teams. With Dolby Atmos, content creators have advanced tools for expressing their artistic vision and enable powerful storytelling.

"Dolby Atmos lets filmmakers decide where specific sounds should be placed or moved within an auditorium to make audiences feel as if they, too, are in the middle of the onscreen action," said Doug Darrow, Senior Vice President, Cinema, Dolby Laboratories. "It is a real paradigm shift from traditional approaches like 5.1, 7.1, and 11.1, where filmmakers had to think about channels and the number and location of speakers."

Currently, Dolby Atmos is playing in RPX at Regal E-Walk Stadium 13 on 42nd Street in Manhattan and Regal Hacienda Crossings Stadium 20 outside San Francisco. Regal added Dolby Atmos in time for the June 14 opening of Man of Steel at these locations:

DMA Theatre Name
Anchorage Regal Tikahtnu Stadium 16 IMAX & RPX
Atlanta Regal Atlantic Station Stadium 16 IMAX & RPX
Boston Regal Fenway Stadium 13 & RPX
Chicago Regal Cantera Stadium 17 & RPX
Chicago Regal City North Stadium 14 & RPX
Denver Regal Continental Stadium 10 & RPX
Houston Edwards Greenway Grand Palace Stadium 24 & RPX
Knoxville Regal Pinnacle Stadium 18 IMAX & RPX
Los Angeles Edwards Corona Crossings Stadium 18 & RPX
Los Angeles Edwards Irvine Spectrum Stadium 21 IMAX & RPX
New York UA Court Street Stadium 12 & RPX
New York UA Kaufman Astoria Cinemas Stadium 14 & RPX
Sacramento Regal Natomas Marketplace Stadium 16 & RPX
San Diego Edwards Mira Mesa Stadium 18 IMAX & RPX
Seattle Regal Barkley Village Stadium 16 IMAX & RPX
Seattle Regal Everett Stadium 16 & RPX
Seattle Regal Lakewood Stadium 15 & RPX
Seattle Regal The Landing Stadium 14 & RPX
Tampa Regal Park Place Stadium 16 & RPX
Washington Regal Kingstowne Stadium 16 & RPX

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About Dolby Atmos
Dolby Laboratories is equipping the cinema world with its new Dolby Atmos technology. Dolby Atmos unleashes the potential of sound in storytelling by providing sound experts the creative freedom to easily place or move specific sounds anywhere in the movie theatre, not just where there happen to be speakers. The result is what moviegoers have described as the most engaging and lifelike cinema sound experience ever.

Introduced in April 2012, Dolby Atmos has been embraced by major studios, award-winning directors and sound teams, and leading exhibitors worldwide. Nearly 45 films around the world have been released or are scheduled to be released with Dolby Atmos sound since the first film was released in June 2012. In 2013, the Cinema Audio Society gave Dolby Atmos its coveted Technical Achievement Award for Post Production.

For the latest list of Dolby Atmos titles visit, dolby.com/atmosmovies. To learn more about Dolby Atmos, visit dolby.com/Atmos.

About Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) operates the largest and most geographically diverse theatre circuit in the United States, consisting of 7,358 screens in 579 locations in 42 states along with Guam, Saipan, American Samoa and the District of Columbia as of April 25, 2013. The Company operates theatres in 46 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the Company's theatre circuit not only provide its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience, but is also an exceptional platform to realize economies of scale in theatre operations.

Additional information is available on the Company's Web site at www.REGmovies.com.

About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) is the global leader in technologies that are essential elements in the best entertainment experiences. Founded in 1965 and best known for high-quality audio and surround sound in environments from the cinema to the living room to mobile devices, Dolby creates innovations that enrich entertainment at the movies, at home, or on the go. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, visit www.dolby.com.
Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Dolby Atmos is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. RPX and REG are registered trademarks of Regal Entertainment Group. S13/27047 DLB-G

Monday Update #2: In general, most wide releases increased over Sunday's weekend estimates thanks in part to strong Father's Day business. Man of Steel experienced the most noteworthy increase, as the weekend actual for the film was $116.62 million. The gross to date for Man of Steel stands at $128.68 million.

This Is the End grossed $20.72 million, which brings the film's five-day start to $33.03 million. Other weekend actuals included $11.02 million for Now You See Me, $9.58 million for Fast & Furious 6 and $8.32 million for The Purge.

Monday Update #1: Thanks to an especially strong Sunday hold helped out by the Father's Day holiday, Warner Bros. has revised its weekend estimate for Man of Steel to $116.725 million.  That brings the overall domestic start for the film to $128.725 million.  The film's Sunday take of $36.325 million was essentially unchanged from Saturday's $36.35 million performance.  The official weekend actual gross for Man of Steel will be released later today.

Sunday Update: Warner Bros. is estimating that Man of Steel will gross $113.08 million this weekend. That figure doesn't include the estimated $12 million the film grossed from Thursday night 7 p.m. shows from the corporate group sale screening program with Walmart, as Warner Bros. is officially reporting those grosses separate from the film's opening weekend performance.  When including those grosses, Man of Steel is off to a $125.08 million start. With or without the $12 million, Man of Steel established a new unadjusted opening weekend record for the month of June, as it topped the $110.31 million opening weekend take of previous record holder Toy Story 3.

The opening weekend take of Man of Steel was the second largest of 2013 thus far (behind only the $174.14 million start of Iron Man 3). Of great importance for Warner Bros. is that the start of Man of Steel represents a vast improvement over the start of 2006's Superman Returns, which had a far more modest opening weekend take of $52.54 million and a five-day start of $84.59 million (that film opened on a Wednesday).

Without the $12 million from corporate screenings, Man of Steel grossed $44.05 million on Friday. The film fell a very reasonable 17.5 percent on Saturday to gross $36.33 million (which was up an impressive 4 percent from Friday when factoring out midnight grosses) and is estimated to fall a slim 10 percent on Sunday (with aid from the Father's Day holiday) to gross $32.7 million. The estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio for Man of Steel stands at 2.57 to 1.

In addition to a strong marketing campaign, there is no doubt that the involvement of Christopher Nolan with the film as a writer and producer helped build up excitement for Man of Steel. The film was also helped out by grosses from IMAX and 3D engagements; IMAX grosses were an estimated $13.3 million this weekend, while 41 percent of the film's overall grosses came from 3D shows. Man of Steel received an A- rating on CinemaScore, which is an encouraging early sign as the film goes forward in its run.

Sony's This Is The End claimed second place this weekend with an estimated $20.5 million. The ensemble R-rated comedy has now grossed $32.81 million in its first five days of release. This Is The End opened in line with the lower end of expectations and was off to a very solid start when taking into account its modest price tag for a high profile summer release. In comparison, 2008's Pineapple Express grossed $23.25 million during its opening weekend and $41.32 million in its first five days of release.

While This Is The End is currently running 21 percent behind the five-day start of Pineapple Express, it is displaying stronger holding power in its initial days of release, as its five-day to opening weekend ratio of 1.60 to 1 came in notably below the 1.78 to 1 ratio of This Is The End. That is an encouraging sign for the film going forward, as is the film's B+ rating on CinemaScore. With that said, generating truly exceptional holding power may be easier said than done given the amount of high profile releases that will continue to enter the marketplace over the next few weeks now that the summer season is into full gear.

This Is The End grossed $6.85 million on Friday, increased 9 percent on Saturday to gross $7.45 million and is estimated to fall 17 percent on Sunday to take in $6.2 million. The audience breakdown for the film skewed towards male moviegoers (60 percent) and slightly towards moviegoers over 25 (52 percent).

With Man of Steel dominating the marketplace this weekend, it came as no surprise that holdovers in general took significant hits (and that is with Father's Day boosting grosses in general on Sunday). The weekend's most impressive holdover among wide releases, both in ranking and percentage decline was Lionsgate's Now You See Me. The crowd pleasing ensemble thriller placed in third with an estimated $10.3 million. That was down 46 percent from last weekend and brings the 17-day total for Now You See Me to $80.01 million. The surprise hit of early summer is now $19.99 million away from reaching the $100 million domestic milestone.

Not holding up anywhere near as well this weekend was Universal's The Purge. After an exceptionally strong first place debut last weekend, the ultra-low budget sci-fi thriller was down four spots and a massive 76 percent this weekend to place in fifth with an estimated $8.2 million. That placed The Purge behind fellow Universal release Fast & Furious 6 in this weekend's rankings. Fast & Furious 6 fell 52 percent to gross an estimated $9.4 million. To date, Fast & Furious 6 has grossed $219.57 million in 24 days. Despite displaying very poor holding power so far, The Purge has still grossed a strong $51.84 million in ten days thanks largely to its opening weekend performance.

Fox's The Internship didn't hold up very well this weekend either. On the heels of last weekend's so-so start, the PG-13 rated comedy starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn fell 60 percent and two spots this weekend to claim sixth with an estimated $7.0 million. In addition to having to deal with the rush out of moviegoers to Man of Steel, there is no doubt that The Internship has taken a direct hit from This Is The End since Wednesday. The ten-day start for The Internship stands at an underwhelming $30.95 million.

On the limited front, films had a tough time expanding in the shadow of Man of Steel. Sony Pictures Classics' Before Midnight took in an estimated $1.53 million this weekend from 897 locations. While that was up 190 percent over last weekend, the Richard Linklater directed film only managed a per-location average of $1,701 this weekend. Meanwhile, Roadside's Much Ado About Nothing grossed an estimated $162,580 from 23 locations. That gave the Joss Whedon directed film a per-location average of $7,069 for the frame, but was down 5 percent from last weekend's start in 5 locations.

A24's The Bling Ring fared significantly better this weekend with an estimated $210,001 debut from 5 locations in New York and Los Angeles. The Sofia Coppola directed film earned an impressive per-location average of $42,000. The Bling Ring will receive a major expansion on Friday.

Also off to a noteworthy platform start in New York and Los Angeles was RADiUS-TWC's 20 Feet from Stardom. The music documentary grossed an estimated $52,211 from 3 locations, giving it a healthy per-location average of $17,404.

A full list of this weekend's official studio estimates can be found here.

Saturday Update #2: Warner Bros. reports that Man of Steel grabbed an impressive $44.05 million on Friday, in addition to the film's $12 million Thursday night previews at 7pm. That gives the film a $56.05 million domestic start. Although it is unclear whether the studio will include the preview grosses in the final weekend tally, as of today, they are separating the grosses into two separate figures.

The $44.05 million figure gives Man of Steel the highest opening day ever for a reboot (surpassing The Amazing Spider-Man's $35 million take). By comparison, 2006's Superman Returns took three days to reach $48.4 million domestically. In all, Man of Steel is on a close pace to top the June opening weekend record (held by Toy Story 3's $110.3 million) with a projected $111 million three-day haul and $123 million total for the Thursday-Sunday period. The factor of NBA finals could work against the film on Sunday, however, Father's Day should counter that effect in addition to the film's positive word of mouth so far.

Sony's This Is the End continued to build its audience even in the shadow of Superman. The apocalyptic comedy grabbed another $6.85 million on Friday, bringing its 3-day cume to $19.15 million. While it trails the first three days of Pineapple Express ($26 million), This Is the End is quickly closing that gap as it proves to be less front-loaded as the benefactor of very healthy word of mouth. Its trajectory compares well to Tropic Thunder ($19.2 million in its first three days). BoxOffice is projecting a $21 million 3-day weekend for the comedy, bringing its 5-day total to $33.3 million by the end of Sunday.

Saturday Update #1: Man of Steel's official estimated gross has come in at $44.05 million for Friday and $12 million from Thursday evening's sneak previews for $56.05 million total in the bank so far. Weekend projections to come...

Friday Update #3: Revised numbers indicate that Man of Steel's haul from Friday-Sunday should end up north of $125 million. The superhero flick is definitely shattering the cautious expectations that Warner Bros. crafted before opening weekend. Man of Steel will have no problem topping the previous record holder for the best opening weekend in June: 2010's Toy Story 3 with $110.3 million.

This Is The End is certainly finding an audience even with Man of Steel dominating. The raunchy comedy could hit $25 million from Friday-Sunday, which would put its 5-day total at around $38 million.

Check back tomorrow morning for official studio estimates.

Friday Update #2: Sources tell BoxOffice that Man of Steel is on pace for at least $45 million on Friday. The final Friday figure will likely end up closer to $50 million, which means that Man of Steel's first weekend in North America could bring in $120 million or more.

WB clearly decided to hinder expectations by saying that the film would end up in the $90 million range this weekend. The recent announcement that a sequel is already moving forward shows that they knew they had a massive film on their hands. The global potential of Man of Steel is huge. Keep in mind that the much-maligned Superman Returns made nearly $400 million globally back in 2006. A true crowd-pleaser like Man of Steel could end up doubling that sum.

Man of Steel may become of the biggest examples of a critic-proof film in quite some time. The superhero flick currently has a mediocre 58% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Audiences around the country are clearly shrugging off the critical consensus.

Friday Update: Warner Bros. reports that Man of Steel has already grossed $21 million. $9 million came from midnight shows and the other $12 million came from a Thursday corporate group sale screening program. WB partnered with Wal-Mart to sell tickets to early screenings on Thursday, and it cleared paid off in a huge way.

This is a very healthy start for the franchise reboot. While it's important to keep expectations in check, it's hard not to be bullish about Man of Steel's potential now. Earlier this summer, Iron Man 3 managed $15.6 million from Thursday evening/Friday midnight shows on its way to a $174 million opening weekend.

Thursday Update #2: Sony reports that This Is The End took in an impressive $7.8 million since screenings began on Tuesday evening. The studio estimates that This Is The End's tally could end up in the "low to mid 30s" by the end of the weekend.

Thursday Update: Early reports indicate that This Is The End made as much as $7 million on Wednesday from 3,055 locations. That number includes Tuesday evening and Wednesday midnight shows. Sony will release an official figure today.

This Is The End is clearly taking advantage of the limited time it has before Man of Steel hits multiplexes. The Warner Bros. superhero flick could end up hindering This Is The End once it rolls out in full force on Friday.

BoxOffice is forecasting a $40 million 5-day haul for This Is The End. Sony's comedy will succeed where Fox's The Internship failed last weekend.

Wednesday Update: Sony reports that This Is The End roped in a healthy $2.2 million from preview shows on Tuesday evening. That tops the $1.5 million haul that Now You See Me managed when it rolled out at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 30.

Opening against Man of Steel will be a daunting task for This Is The End, but the market is wide open for a comedy right now following the underwhelming performance of The Internship last weekend.

Critics are actually quite supportive of This Is The End. The raunchy comedy boasts a healthy 79% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.