STAR TREK - STAR TREK GOES WHERE NO STAR TREK HAS GONE BEFORE

STAR TREK GOES WHERE NO STAR TREK HAS GONE BEFORE

Guaranteeing that the franchise would live much longer, Star Trek prospered at the box office over the weekend, earning an estimated $76.5 million, including $4 million from previews Thursday on a limited number of screens. While the figure surpassed studio predictions that it would earn about $50 million, it fell short of those from the most bullish forecasters, who had envisioned earnings as high as $100 million. Nevertheless, it far surpassed the previous high for a Star Trek movie, 1996's First Contact, which opened with $30.7 million, or about $50 million at today's ticket prices. (The film went on to earn nearly $100 million.) The movie helped boost the overall box office to about $148 million, a record for the second week of May and up 18 percent over the same weekend a year ago. It also put the box office back on a winning track, after last weekend's fare came in just below that of a year ago. Meanwhile, last weekend's top film, X-Men Origins Wolverine took a big hit from the new movie, falling 68 percent to about $27 million. The sharp decline once again raised questions about the studios' strategy of releasing big-budget tentpole movies on successive weekends in the early summer season. It also raised questions about how long young moviegoers will be able to afford to go to the movies weekend after weekend. Last week's second-place film, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was down 32 percent to $10.5 million and third-placed Obsesssed was down 45 percent to $6.6 million. Each fell one notch in the standings this past weekend. Coming in at No. 6. was Next Day Air , the only other new film to open wide, with just $4 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo 1. Star Trek, $72.5 million; 2. X-Men Origins Wolverine , $27 million; 3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past , $10.45 million; 4. Obsessed , $6.6 million; 5. 17 Again , $4.4 million; 6. Next Day Air, $4 million; 7. The Soloist , $3.6 million; 8. Monsters vs. Aliens, $3.4 million; 9. Earth , $2.5 million; 10. Hannah Montana The Movie , $2.4 million.

11/05/2009