The superhero prequel outclasses sequels 'The Hangover Part II' and 'Kung Fu Panda 2' in the weekend's box-office tally.
By Ryan J. Downey
Michael Fassbender in "X-Men: First Class"
Photo: 20th Century Fox
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" may have been the big winner at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night, but when it came to drawing people to theaters over the weekend, no film beat "X-Men: First Class." The superhero reboot/prequel came in first in the latest box-office tally with a $56 million debut. And while the mutant movie's estimated opening is the worst of the franchise, "First Class" bears the distinction of being the best-reviewed "X-Men" flick since 2003's "X2: X-Men United."
While the first "X-Men" movie took in less than "First Class" when it debuted in 2000, with adjustments for ticket-price inflation it fared better than the new film. Eighty-eight percent of critics liked "X-Men: First Class," according to film-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (aka "X-Men 4"), in comparison, sits at 37 percent on the Tomatometer.
In non-mutant movie news, "The Hangover Part II" fell from the top spot to #2 at the box office in its second weekend of release, while suffering a sharp 62-percent decline (much greater than its predecessor). The poorly reviewed comedy sequel took in $32.4 million, for an overall $186.8 million total. "Kung Fu Panda 2" was #3 at the box office with $18 million, for a two-week total of $100 million. Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was #4 with $18 million, for a $190.2 million total.
"Bridesmaids," the only movie in the top five that isn't a sequel, crossed the $100 million mark. The female-ensemble-led comedy made $12.1 million over the weekend to bring its total earnings to $107.2 million. "Fast Five," meanwhile, crossed the $200 million domestic box-office mark.
Welsh coming-of-age story "Submarine," tragic drama "Beautiful Boy" and Ewan McGregor's "Beginners" opened in limited release. Next weekend's big new release is JJ Abrams' "Super 8."
Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class," "The Hangover Part II" and "Kung Fu Panda 2."
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