Either way, Suicide Squad should have no trouble coming in ahead of Marvel and Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy, which launched to $94.3 million domestically in early August 2014 and remains the record holder for top August opening.

The bigger question is whether it can match Fox's Deadpool, the R-rated superhero movie that rocketed to a $132.4 million domestic opening this past February despite an R-rating.

Rated PG-13 Suicide Squad revolves around an irreverent band of supervillains, and is another defining moment for Warner Bros. and DC as they launch their cinematic superhero universe with the aim of rivaling Marvel. Earlier this year, Superman v. Batman: Dawn of Justice debuted to $166 million in North America on its way to earning $872.7 million globally (the studio had hoped for $1 billion or more.)

Suicide Squad stars Will Smith — who remains one of the biggest movie stars in the world — Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood and Cara Delevingne.