‘Suicide Squad’ breaks August box office record with preview screenings

Despite bad buzz and negative reviews, the new Warner Bros.-DC antihero film “Suicide Squad” is on track for a stellar opening weekend at the box office.

The action movie about a band of villains recruited for a government mission grossed $20.5 million from Thursday night preview shows, according to studio estimates, easily making it the biggest opening night ever for the month of August.

The previous record-holder was 2014’s Disney-Marvel smash “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which scored $11.2 million in its Thursday night opening.

According to midweek projections by people who have reviewed tracking surveys, “Suicide Squad” is expected to gross $125 million to $140 million through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada. That’s in spite of a blistering response from critics, indicated by a 27% positive score on movie review website Rotten Tomatoes.

Warner Bros. is hoping that comic-book fans and moviegoers embrace the $175-million picture, after the studio suffered a reputational blow from the critical response to “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” earlier this year. The studio has multiple films lined up based on its venerable DC Comics library, including “Wonder Woman” and “Justice League.”

ryan.faughdner@latimes.com

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder

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