`Watchmen` Has Already Broken A Box Office Record

The `Watchmen` playdates include 124 engagements in Imax giant-screen auditoriums.

However high "Watchmen" grosses can climb at the North American box office this weekend, the superhero movie sure will be playing wide: Its 3,611 playdates will be the most ever for an R-rated film.

The Zack Snyder-directed comic book adaptation will get an early start by playing in an impressive 1,600 locations starting at midnight Thursday. That's substantially more than the 656 midnight shows that helped Snyder's ancient Greece actioner "300" fetch an incredible $28 million in only the first day of its $71 million opening weekend in March 2007.

The first-day haul for "300" was the second-highest ever for an R-rated picture, after the $42.5 million tally for 2003's "The Matrix Reloaded," according to Nielsen EDI. The previous widest release for an R-rated picture was the 3,603-theater bow for "Reloaded."

The "Watchmen" playdates include 124 engagements in Imax giant-screen auditoriums.

"All will have midnight shows, and that's a function of demand," Imax Filmed Entertainment president Greg Foster said. "If there weren't midnight shows, there would be a riot. The demand is very, very strong."

Imax's Web site crashed four times this week because of traffic surges by "Watchmen" fans looking for ticket information, Foster said.

Online ticketer Fandango said Wednesday that "Watchmen" purchases represented 90% of its advance ticket sales for this weekend. No other wide opener is set for the weekend.

"Watchmen" was co-produced by Warners and Legendary Pictures. Fox also will get a taste of profits under terms of a settlement of a dispute over distribution rights.