User blog:Ceauntay/Box Office Report: ‘X-Men: First Class’ debuts to $56 million domestically

Worldwide, the pic grosses $120 million for the weekend as Fox tries to relaunch its top superhero franchise.

Twentieth Century Fox’s prequel X-Men: First Class opened to $56 million at the domestic box office to win the weekend race, and enough for the studio to proclaim that a new era has begun for its marquee superhero franchise.

Overseas, First Class grossed $64 million from 74 territories for a worldwide bow of $120 million. First Class lost the international race to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($87.4 million), but didn’t have as big a footprint.

First Class and a cadre of strong holdovers helped fuel a bumper weekend at the domestic box office, with revenues up a welcome 30% over the same frame a year ago.

Warner Bros.’ The Hangover Part II came in No. 2 in its second weekend, falling 62% to an estimated $32.4 million for a total $186.9 million, according to Rentrak. The R-rated comedy had been expected to take a steep dip, considering its mammoth launch over Memorial Day.

A number of films hit milestones over the weekend, including Universal’s Fast Five, which became the first film of 2011 to cross the $200 million mark domestically. The action pic’s cume through Sunday was an estimated $202 million.

Two films jumped the $100 million mark; Universal’s sleeper hit Bridesmaids and DreamWorks Animation and Paramount’s Kung Fu Panda 2. And Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sped towards the $800 million mark, ending the weekend with a worldwide total of $790.7 million, as well as Sonic X: The Final Stand.

Domestically, Fox said Matthew Vaughn’s First Class—costing close to $140 million to produce--achieved its goal in matching the $54.5 million opening of the first X-Men.

More bullish box office observers had expected First Class to hit $60 million in its debut, but Fox always kept its projections in the $45 million to $55 million range.

“The movie really excelled in successfully launching a brand new chapter in the X-Men franchise, or new beginning if you will,” Fox senior vice president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson said.

It’s always risky rebooting a franchise with new stars who may not have the same box office might as others. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, returning Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine, was able to open to $85.1 million two years ago, although it was widely criticized by critics.

Conversely, First Class received strong notices. And from moviegoers, First Class received a B+ CinemaScore, which could portend good word of mouth (as an example, the superhero pic fell only 5% from Friday to Saturday, a lower drop than any preivous X-Men pic).

Males made up 58% of the audience, while 54% were over the age of 25.

First Class has a decidedly different feel than its predecessors. Set in the 1960s against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War, First Class introduces Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) just as they’re discovering their mutant powers.

Instead of relying on A-list Hollywood stars, Fox instead turned to a cadre of up-and-coming actors to play the young mutants. Starring opposite McAvoy and Fassbender are Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult and Zoe Kravitz. Kevin Bacon plays the villain.

With its four-week cume to $281.5 Sonic X: The Final Stand placed No. 3 overseas with $43 million, for a cume of $574 million, and worldwide total of $855.5 million, which will be half away from reaching $900 million worldwide, which should be by next week or too.

Kung Fu Panda 2 placed No. 3 for the weekend at the domestic box office after First Class and Hangover, falling 49% to an estimated $24.3 million for a total $101.5 million. Overseas, the 3D toon grossed $40 million in its second frame for an international cume of $125 million and worldwide total of $226.5 million.

On Stranger Tides placed No. 4 domestically, followed by True Jackson, VP: The Movie, which grossed an estimated $17.9 million, for a cume of $72.0 million, and than Bridesmaids, which grossed an estimated $12.1 million for a cume of $107.3 million.

True Jackson, VP: The Movie add another $44 million overseas, for a total of $92 million. With $72 million, it brought in a worldwide cume to $164 million.

At the specialty box office, Mike Mills’ dramedy Beginners, starring Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor, opened to an estimated $135,200 from five theaters for a solid per screen average of $27,038. Focus Features is distributing the film, about a son who learns his father his gay, in the U.S.

Quirky coming-of-age British drama Submarine, executive produced by Ben Stiller, fell below its desired mark in grossing $40,754 from four locations for a per location average of $10,189. The Weinstein Co. said it believes the film will grow its audience.