“X-Men” annihilates “Da Vinci” at box office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The final film in the “X-Men” superhero trilogy blew past last weekend’s box office champ, “The Da Vinci Code,” to post the fourth-highest all-time opening in North America, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
“X-Men: The Last Stand” sold about $107 million worth of tickets in the three-day period from Friday to Sunday, dwarfing “Da Vinci’s” $77 million opening a week ago, said tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.
The Vatican conspiracy thriller slipped to No. 2, but sales data were not immediately available as most studios were planning to report sales estimates for the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend on Monday.
The three-day record for a film opening on a Friday is held by 2002’s “Spider-Man” ($115 million), followed by 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith ($108.4 million) and 2004’s “Shrek 2” ($108 million).
“X-Men: The Last Stand,” which reportedly cost at least $165 million to make, was released by News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox, which licensed the comic book franchise from Marvel Entertainment Inc. The first film in the series, “X-Men” opened to $54 million in 2000. Three years later, “X2: X-Men United” launched with $86 million. Fox executives were not available for comment.
The new film, whose returning cast of mutants includes Hugh Jackman as the heroic Wolverine and Ian McKellen as the evil Magneto, was directed by Brett Ratner, best known for the “Rush Hour” films. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last week, and earned rave reviews — unlike Sony Corp.’s “Da Vinci Code.”
In addition to taking over from “Da Vinci” as the highest opening so far this year, the new “X-Men” beats the nine-year-old Memorial Day weekend record held by “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” which opened to $72 million during its first three days. Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur picture earned an additional $18 million during the Monday holiday.
Projections for the four-day period will be released on Monday, and final data on Tuesday.
Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures said it took the No. 3 and No. 4 places with “Over the Hedge” ($27.3 million) and “Mission: Impossible III” ($6.6 million), respectively. Their totals rose to $85.3 million after two weeks and $115.5 million after four weeks, respectively.
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