The new “Star Trek” movie earned an estimated $76.5 million in North American ticket sales for its first weekend in theaters, leading the boxoffice race and re-energizing the venerable science-fiction franchise.
“Star Trek’s” weekend take alone represents 11.5% of the combined total ($312.9 million) grossed offshore by all 10 of its theatrical predecessors, according to data from distributor Paramount Pictures.
“Star Trek” since its May 6 offshore bow (in France, Belgium and Switzerland) has performed especially well in the U.K. and Ireland (No. 1 in the combined territories with $8.8 million from 501 locations) and in Germany ($4.6 million from 693 spots). Australia provided a No. 1 spot with $3.4 million from 210 screens, France bellied up for $2.8 million from 492 sites while Russia generated $2.3 million from 450 situations and Korea weighed in with $2.2 million from an undisclosed number of locations.
Since bowing Thursday night, Star Trek has grossed $76.5 million overall.
“An opening like this definitely indicates that moviegoers outside the core base of Trekkies showed up,” Exhibitor Relations box-office analyst Jeff Bock said in an email.
According to Paramount’s calendar, the weekend started Thursday. The studio was reporting the $76.5 million figure as Trek’s opening-weekend gross. It confirmed that count included Thursday business.
Star Trek made more on Friday ($26.8 million, per Exhibitor Relations) than nine of the 10 previous Trek movies made in their respective opening weekends. If estimates hold, it’ll have made more in 72 hours than the 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis, the last pre-Abrams film, made in 91 days of release ($43.3 million).
Paramount was reporting Star Trek made $30.8 million on Friday. That figure, too, included Thursday business. By Exhibitor Relations’ count, the movie’s biggest single day so far was Saturday, with $27.4 million.
Among franchise restarts, Star Trek outdid 2005’s Batman Begins ($48.7 million debut) and 2006’s Superman Returns ($52.5 million). It did not, however, outgross last weekend’s X-Men pivot, Wolverine ($85.1 million), which remains the year’s biggest opener.
