If Warner Bros. and Marvel Studios still require proof that a Wonder Woman or Black Widow solo film can be a commercial success need look no further than this weekend's box-office numbers.

"Lucy," the Luc Besson action film that stars Scarlett Johannson as a drug mule who gains enhanced mental and physical abilities from a synthetic superdrug, opened Friday at No. 1 in North America, grossing $17.1 million. By way of comparison, Box Office Mojo notes that figure is only a little less than the first-day hauls of "Taken 2" and "The Bourne Supremacy."

Although "Lucy" has received decidedly mixed reviews -- it's at 59 percent on Rotten Tomatoes -- the film is expected to finish the weekend with somewhere between $43 million and $47 million, ahead of the Dwayne Johnson action epic "Hercules."

The Brett Ratner-directed adaptation of the Radical Publishing miniseries by Steve Moore and Admira Wijaystarsa opened Friday to $11.01 million, and is projected to close the weekend with $29 million haul, ahead of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," "The Purge: Anarchy" and "Planes: Fire & Rescue."