Monday, May 11, 2009

'Star Trek' Takes Off With Box-Office #1

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Star Trek" ($72.5 million)
#2 "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" ($27 million)
#3 "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" ($10.4 million)
#4 "Obsessed" ($6.6 million)
#5 "17 Again" ($4.4 million)

Audiences happily beamed aboard the USS Enterprise this weekend, as Paramount's "Star Trek" took the #1 spot with a stunning debut of $72.5 million. The movie also did an estimated $4 million during Thursday-night preview screenings, bringing its total four-day gross to $76.5 million.

It was also another weekend for breaking records: "Star Trek" had the biggest opening ever for a "Trek" installment, beat "The Dark Knight" record for an IMAX haul (it earned $8 million on the giant screens alone) and is the largest earner yet for the second weekend in May. Paramount and J.J. Abrams are undoubtedly breathing a sigh of relief, as many considered a "reboot" of the beloved sci-fi series a very risky prospect. It was feared that the film would misfire with longtime Trek fans and general audiences, but good buzz and positive reviews helped the film win over even the most skeptical moviegoers.

With "Star Trek" advertising dominating every format, it was easy to forget "Next Day Air" also opened this week — its box office proved that audiences did forget, as it opened below expectations at #6 with only $4 million.

Last week's champion, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," didn't fare so well in its second week. Piracy or poor word of mouth dragged the clawed mutant down 68 percent in gross to bring in only $27 million. Though the box-office total is a tidy $130 million, the dropping attendance is an all-time low for the "X-Men" franchise.

Though "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" dropped to #3, its drop was less steep than that of "Wolverine," possibly thanks to moviegoing mothers opting for gentler fare on Mother's Day. It brought in $10.4 million, for a total of $30.2 million.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" finally dropped off the top five, after being a fairly steady presence there since March. "Obsessed" held on instead, dropping to #4 with $6.6 million and a total of $56.2 million. "17 Again" has also made a tough show of it, dropping to #5 but managing to bring in another $4.41 million.

Upcoming Releases

Sony's "Angels and Demons" is the big movie on the horizon. Will there be room for three summer blockbusters at the box office?

Will the vampires grab more trophies than the slumdog? What was the year's ultimate onscreen WTF moment? It's up to you to decide the winners of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Vote now, and tune in on May 31 at 9 p.m. ET, when the big show airs live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.

Check out everything we've got on "Star Trek."

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