Having set an Easter preview night record, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has now recorded the biggest pre-summer opening day in North America, with the Warner Bros. / DC superhero epic grossing $81.3 million on Friday for a projected domestic opening weekend of $171 million.

Internationally, the movie has earned over $65 million, including $21.2 million in China, pushing its global total beyond $146 million by close of play on Friday. Initial tracking had suggested a $350 million global opening weekend, but it now looks likely that the film will surpass that figure.

SEE ALSO: Read our reviews of Batman v Superman here and here

Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

SEE ALSO: Follow all of our Batman v Superman coverage here

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is out now and sees Zack Snyder directing a cast that includes returning Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill (Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White), Harry Lennix (General Swanwick), Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent) and Christina Wren (Carrie Farris) alongside Ben Affleck (Argo) as Batman, Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 6) as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as The Flash, Jesse Eisenberg (Now You See Me) as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) as Alfred Pennyworth, Holly Hunter (The Piano) as Senator Finch, Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) as Mercy Graves, Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead) as Martha Wayne, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) as Thomas Wayne, Scoot McNairy (Argo) as Wallace Keefe and Callan Mulvey (300: Rise of an Empire) as Anatoli Knyazev.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/197064794″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=false” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]