Pamela McClintock of THR has answers:
Twentieth Century Fox’s prequel X-Men: First Class opened to $56 million at the domestic box office to win the weekend race, and enough for the studio to proclaim that a new era has begun for its marquee superhero franchise.
Overseas, First Class grossed $64 million from 74 territories for a worldwide bow of $120 million. First Class lost the international race to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($69.4 million), but didn’t have as big a footprint.
First Class and a cadre of strong holdovers helped fuel a bumper weekend at the domestic box office, with revenues up a welcome 30% over the same frame a year ago.
Warner Bros.’ The Hangover Part II came in No. 2 in its second weekend, falling 62% to an estimated $32.4 million for a total $186.9 million, according to Rentrak. The R-rated comedy had been expected to take a steep dip, considering its mammoth launch over Memorial Day.
A number of films hit milestones over the weekend, including Universal’s Fast Five, which became the first film of 2011 to cross the $200 million mark domestically. The action pic’s cume through Sunday was an estimated $202 million.
Two films jumped the $100 million mark; Universal’s sleeper hit Bridesmaids and DreamWorks Animation and Paramount’s Kung Fu Panda 2. And Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sped towards the $800 million mark, ending the weekend with a worldwide total of $790.7 million.
Domestically, Fox said Matthew Vaughn’s First Class—costing close to $140 million to produce--achieved its goal in matching the $54.5 million opening of the first X-Men.
More bullish box office observers had expected First Class to hit $60 million in its debut, but Fox always kept its projections in the $45 million to $55 million range.
“The movie really excelled in successfully launching a brand new chapter in the X-Men franchise, or new beginning if you will,” Fox senior vice president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson said.
It’s always risky rebooting a franchise with new stars who may not have the same box office might as others. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, returning Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine, was able to open to $85.1 million two years ago, although it was widely criticized by critics.
Conversely, First Class received strong notices. And from moviegoers, First Class received a B+ CinemaScore, which could portend good word of mouth (as an example, the superhero pic fell only 5% from Friday to Saturday, a lower drop than any preivous X-Men pic).
Males made up 58% of the audience, while 54% were over the age of 25.
First Class has a decidedly different feel than its predecessors. Set in the 1960s against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War, First Class introduces Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) just as they’re discovering their mutant powers.
Instead of relying on A-list Hollywood stars, Fox instead turned to a cadre of up-and-coming actors to play the young mutants. Starring opposite McAvoy and Fassbender are Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult and Zoe Kravitz. Kevin Bacon plays the villain.
Kung Fu Panda 2 placed No. 3 for the weekend at the domestic box office after First Class and Hangover, falling 49% to an estimated $24.3 million for a total $101.5 million. Overseas, the 3D toon grossed $40 million in its second frame for an international cume of $125 million and worldwide total of $226.5 million.
On Stranger Tides placed No. 4 domestically, followed by Bridesmaids, which grossed an estimated $12.1 million for a cume of $107.3 million....
John Young of EW:
Reboot/prequel fails to match previous films in series, but wins weekend; ''Hangover 2'' drops 62 percent...
Oh, and just in case ya missed it--you can read my non-spoilery review of X-FC
Next Up: J.J. Abrams pays homage to the Steven Spielberg films of the late 70's and 80's with the alien monster movie Super 8; And from the famed book series Judy Moody comes to the big screen in The Not Bummer Summer
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