By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Paramount, Variety
Star Trek Poster
No surprises here. With all the positive reviews and hype Star Trek was getting, the film was a shoe-in for the top spot at the box office.
Box Office Winner: Star Trek
Though Star Trek was able to take in $76.5 million during its opening bow, the film still fell short of this year's current heavyweight, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which earned a whopping $85 million last weekend. Over the course of the next few weeks, expect Star Trek's strong word of mouth to push the film's bo numbers far past that of Wolverine.
Though Paramount might have fallen short to Fox in terms of best opening for 2009, the studio still has plenty of reasons to be happy.
First off, Star Trek also did great overseas, taking in another $35 million in foreign territories. None of the previous installments ever opened as big. With the help of J.J. Abrams, the film was also able to bring in a younger audience and those that once felt er, alienated by the franchise.
“J.J. Abrams did everything we could have asked for in re-energizing this franchise and making a fantastic movie for everyone,” said Par vice chair Rob Moore.
Thanks most in part to Star Trek and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the weekend box office was up 22% over the same frame last year. Maybe a sign that studios can begin spending money again on banners ads? (just a thought)
Both films better take advantage of next weekend, because after that comes Terminator Salvation.
Add to Heffee!
