Despite taking the top spot at the box office with $55.7 million, Zack Snyder’s Watchmen fell well short expectations opening weekend.

Based on the critically acclaimed and wildly popular graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, studio execs expected a $60 million-plus opening at the very least.  Frank Miller’s lesser-known graphic novel 300, which was also adapted by Snyder opened at $71 million in 2007, and holds the box office record for the month of March.

Of course, studio suits gave every reason besides the quality of the film for it’s relatively modest opening, citing it’s lengthy run-time (161 minutes) as well as its cast of several virtually unknowns.  It’s funny, but those things sure didn’t seem to stop film like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.  Perhaps studios should concern themselves with making a better film next time rather than banking on the fact that it’s a comic book that already has fans.