'X-Men' weaken with US$56m prequel debut

LOS ANGELES (AP):

Young X-Men don't have the same box-office superpowers as their older selves.

X-Men: First Class had a solid No. 1 opening with a US$56 million weekend, according to studio estimates yesterday.

But the 20th Century Fox prequel chronicling the formative years of the comic-book mutants found smaller audiences than the franchise's first four big-screen adventures, which featured older versions of the X-Men.

Debut weekends for the last three 'X-Men' flicks ranged from US$85.1 million to US$102.8 million. The original 'X-Men' opened 11 years ago with US$54.5 million, but that would amount to about US$80 million today, adjusting for ticket-price inflation.

Fox distribution executive Chris Aronson said the studio achieved its goal of opening the prequel at about the same revenue numbers as the original 'X-Men'.

"This is just an excellent start in launching a brand new chapter of the 'X-Men' franchise," said Aronson, dismissing comparisons to the US$85.1 million debut of Hugh Jackman's X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009.

"You can't compare this one to any of the other 'X-Men' movies, except maybe the first one," Aronson said. "Something like 'Wolverine' is a totally unfair comparison because that had a bona fide worldwide star in Hugh Jackman and arguably the most popular character in the 'X-Men' stable."

The prequel presents a rising cast of new talent rather than the established stars of the franchise's previous chapters.

X-Men: First Class features James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as Marvel Comics mutants Professor X and Magneto, roles originated by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in the characters' older years.

The prequel follows their first meeting, early alliance and eventual falling out, as they take opposite approaches in their dealings with ordinary humans fearful of the superpowered mutants.

added US$64m

The movie added US$64 million from 74 overseas markets, for a worldwide total of US$120 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, the Warner Bros sequel The Hangover Part II, fell to second place with US$32.4 million. That raised its domestic total to US$186.9 million, but represented a steep 62 per cent drop from its huge opening weekend.

Still, with overall receipts rising for the fourth straight weekend, Hollywood continued on a summer box-office tear that has helped studios recover from a dismal first quarter.

"We're definitely on a roll compared to the first quarter when we were so used to having one down weekend after another," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

Hollywood continued to close the gap between revenues this year and last year. Receipts through Sunday totalled US$4.2 billion, off 7 per cent compared to 2010's.

The year's top-grossing film domestically, Universal's action sequel Fast Five, pulled in US$3.2 million and crept past the US$200- million mark.

But Disney's sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is closing in, grossing US$18 million to raise its domestic take to US$190.3 million.

Both movies have done far more business overseas, with the latest 'Pirates' instalment now at a worldwide total of US$790.7 million, and Fast Five climbing to US$568.6 million globally.

Here are final estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com:

1. X-Men: First Class, US$56 million.

2. The Hangover Part II, US$32.4 million.

3. Kung Fu Panda 2, US$24.3 million.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, US$18 million.

5. Bridesmaids, US$12.1 million.

6. Thor, US$4.2 million.

7. Fast Five, US$3.2 million.

8. Midnight in Paris, US$2.9 million.

9. Jumping the Broom, US$865,000.

10. Something Borrowed, US$835,000.