A second Princess Diana is set to dominate the headlines this summer — this one a crusading DC Comics superhero.
The fictional Diana, an Amazonian princess, is the star of Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman,” a film headed on Friday for an opening weekend of more than $115 million, according to industry estimates.
With favorable buzz building all week, the box office could swell even further into blockbuster territory.
Just four days ago, tracking experts suggested the $150 million movie would do a respectable $65 million open.
For Kevin Tsujihara, head of the Time Warner-owned studio, the timing of the likely hit couldn’t be better.
After Warner Bros.’ “The Accountant” bombed last fall and the $125 million “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” pulled in just $36 million in US box office receipts in its first three weeks, the studio sat in fourth place in tickets sold, according to BoxOfficeMojo.
“Wonder Woman,” starring Gal Gadot, is the first big-budget superhero movie with a female lead to be directed by a woman — Patty Jenkins.
The feisty but vulnerable Princess of the Amazon looks set to blow away box office receipts of male superheroes from “Spiderman” to “Thor.”
“The Amazing Spiderman 2” took in $92 million in its opening weekend in 2014. “Thor” did $65.7 million in its opening foray in 2011.
Film fans appear to be in the mood for a multi-dimensional ensemble story.
After several women’s marches and more visible efforts to fight for gender equality, Warner Bros. president of worldwide marketing and distribution Sue Kroll told The Post on Thursday that now is the “perfect time in the culture for this movie.”
Kroll noted that the male/female ratio of people intending to see the movie is 50/50 and is equally young and old.
Marketing info is showing that the movie is transcending the “superhero” category, Kroll said.
Some bloggers criticized Warner for failing to market “Wonder Woman” on a par with other superhero franchises. Its marketing also came in for some criticism due to tie-ins with diet products such as ThinkThin.
Still, review site Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 92 percent positive review Thursday.
The Post’s Sara Stewart gave it three stars and described it as a “game-changer for DC Comics and for female superhero movies.”
ComScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian predicted the movie “will be a hot property in terms of merchandising.”
Walmart and Target both list “Wonder Woman” products on their sites, and Amazon is set to release a fashion collection Friday.
Later this summer, the media is sure to remember the 20th anniversary of the beloved (British) Princess Di’s death in Paris.
But for the next several weeks, the more popular Diana will be the one on 4,165 screens across the US.
The “Wonder” excitement has even penetrated the White House, which has requested a copy of the film, sources said.
The summer box office season needs a lift. As of Thursday, ticket sales were down 9 percent from last year, according to comScore.