Weekend Estimates: X-Men First Week Good, Not Great

June 5, 2011

2011 continued its winning streak at the box office this weekend, with five films topping $10 million and X-Men: First Class posting a very respectable $56 million opening, according to Fox's Sunday estimate. With the studio setting expectations a little lower than that, they can claim an excellent weekend. And they do have a point, but the truth is that this is the worst opening for a movie in the franchise since the first movie arrived in 2000 (and the latest film's estimate is only ahead by a couple of million dollars, so it might not even beat that mark). Excellent reviews and peak Summer business should help the film over the next few weeks, but it can't afford a 60% decline next weekend.

Speaking of 60% declines, The Hangover: Part II fell $32.4 million in its second weekend in release, which took its eleven day total to $186.9 million, according to Warner Bros.. After a massive opening on a holiday weekend, the decline isn't a surprise. Kung Fu Panda 2 did a little better with $24.3 million, down 49% for a total just a shade over $100 million.

In limited release, three movies posted excellent numbers. Midnight in Paris continued its amazing run by earning $2.9 million in just 147 theaters for $6.9 million to date. The Tree of Life will top the per theater chart, though, thanks to a $621,000 weekend in 20 theaters. Both films will be expanding significantly over the next few weeks (with Paris already confirmed for a wide release). Joining those two in the art-house stratosphere this weekend is Beginners, which opened with an excellent $135,000 in five locations. It might not quite manage the mainstream success the other two films are destined for, but it should see a good run over the Summer.

- 3-Day Weekend Estimates
- Friday daily estimates
- Saturday daily estimates
- Sunday daily projections

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, The Hangover Part II, Kung Fu Panda 2, Beginners, Midnight in Paris, X-Men: First Class, The Tree of Life