Word. Of. Mouth. Never underestimate the power of a friend telling another friend how AWESOME a movie is. Even though I was a little off in my guesstimation that Star Trek would cross the $100 mil mark its opening weekend, the positive reviews the film has received from both critics and regular moviegoers alike is pretty substantial. Here’s a clip of the film’s stars talking to TV Guide.com.
I mean, the space adventure did haul in $76.5 mil (including the pre-ticket sales), which isn’t too shabby, despite the fact it didn’t do quite as well as the $85 mil opening weekend for Wolverine. I suspect that was because more teenagers are into the X-Men franchise than they are Star Trek.
But as I just mentioned, that should change soon. I was right to say Wolverine would have a tough time keeping its momentum; it dropped nearly 70 percent this past weekend with a $27 mil take. Star Trek’s box office business , however, will only continue to grow as the hard-core Trekkers, the newfound Trek fans and the friendly PG-13 rating should give the film some repeat business.
Here is the top five this weekend:
1. NEW! Star Trek (Paramount) – $72.5 mil ($18,836 per theater); $76.5 mil cume
2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) – $27 mil ($6,582 PT); $129.6 mil cume
3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (WB) – $10.4 mil ($3,291 PT); $30.2 mil cume
4. Obsessed (Screen Gems) – $6.6 mil ($2,537 PT); $56.25 mil cume
5. 17 Again (New Line) – $4.4 mil ($1,517 PT) – $54.17 mil cume
What will this mean for this week’s big opener, Angels and Demons? Hmm, not sure. Yes, Tom Hanks is reprising his role as our favorite symbologist Robert Langdon — a theological Indiana Jones, as it were — now trying to figure out some new religious mystery. And yes, although not nearly as prickly as its predecessor, The Da Vinci Code, the controversy over said religious undertones could bring in more look-ee-loos. But ultimately, the more “adult” movies just aren’t cutting these days (Duplicity, anyone?). Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Angels and Demons, courtesy of Access Hollywood:
I’m going to stand by my prediction that Star Trek will beat Angels and Demons this coming weekend at the box office. Let’s see if I get it right this time.