“Star Trek Beyond” stars Chris Pine, John Cho, Simon Pegg (who co-wrote the script), Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Sofia Boutella and Idris Elba.
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Finishing second in North American theaters was “The Secret Life of Pets”, a film popular with kids and adults about what dogs do while their owners are at work.
In a triumph of profit margins, New Line Cinema’s “Lights Out” racked up $21.6 million in its debut.
However, it would have been better for the film’s studio, Paramount, if a few more outside of the fan base showed up this weekend, as “Beyond” has the lowest opening weekend out of the two previous “Trek” releases in this most recent reboot of the sci-fi franchise. J.J. Abrams, the director who revitalized the series by arming it with a youthful cast and sprinkling in light flares, departed “Star Trek” to make “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. This marks the first time in the franchise’s 14-year history that one of its titles has opened to less than $41 million, though the film’s worldwide numbers are keeping the title afloat.
Paramount’s Star Trek Beyond, the latest instalment in the 50-year-old franchise, beamed up US$59.6 million (S$81 million) in gross receipts, according to estimates released by industry tracker Exhibitor Relations on Sunday. Although it seemed that this Star Trek had little new to offer, positive reviews (85% fresh) and Lin’s fanbase helped to drive the Friday number to $22.5 million, including $5.5 million from Thursday sneak previews. Paramount announced last week it was making a fourth “Star Trek” movie. It’s probably safe to say that there was some fanboy rush here, and while a lot of outlets are forecasting a $60 million weekend, I think it’ll be closer to $55 million.
The Secret Life of Pets is a distant #2 behind Trek, with an estimated $29.3 million.
20th Century Fox’s “Ice Age: Collision Course” has a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 13 percent and an unfavorable Metacritic score of 33.
Ice Age: Collision Course came in last with $21 million.
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Among limited releases, Fox Searchlight debuted “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” in 313 theaters where the big screen version of the cult series earned $1.9 million.
