‘Star Trek’ Makes $72.5 Million, a Franchise Record (Update1)
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By Michael White
May 10 (Bloomberg) -- “Star Trek” opened with $72.5 million in ticket sales, the best debut in the 11-movie franchise, as fans turned out to see a new, younger crew for the Paramount Pictures Film.
“Star Trek” topped the series’ previous high, $30.7 million in first-weekend sales for 1996’s “Star Trek: First Contact,” researcher Hollywood.Com Box-Office said today in an e-mailed statement. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” dropped to second place from first place with sales of $27 million.
The box-office leading debut for “Star Trek” may pave the way for still more films about Captain James T. Kirk, the Vulcan Mr. Spock and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. It also provides the studio, a unit of Viacom Inc., with prospects for additional revenue from video games, toys and other consumer products. The first 10 “Star Trek” films generated $755.6 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada.
Studios are benefiting from a surge in attendance that has lifted ticket revenue 16 percent as of May 10. The increase puts Hollywood on course for record summer sales of $4.6 billion and a new annual high of $10.5 billion, according to Los Angeles- based Hollywood.com Box-Office. The summer season typically accounts for about 40 percent of the year’s box office take.
The new “Star Trek” is a prequel to the original television series that first aired in 1966. The film opens with the birth of Kirk as his mother is evacuated from a starship under attack.
The movie follows Kirk, Spock, Dr. “Bones” McCoy and other characters from the television series as they join the crew of the Enterprise. Chris Pine plays Kirk and Zachary Quinto, co-star of the “Heroes” TV show, is Spock. Karl Urban plays McCoy.
The new “Star Trek” has received almost all upbeat reviews, with 195 of 204 rated positive on the Web site www.rottentomatoes.com.
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at [email protected].
Last Updated: May 10, 2009 13:14 EDT
Share | Email | Print | A A A
By Michael White
May 10 (Bloomberg) -- “Star Trek” opened with $72.5 million in ticket sales, the best debut in the 11-movie franchise, as fans turned out to see a new, younger crew for the Paramount Pictures Film.
“Star Trek” topped the series’ previous high, $30.7 million in first-weekend sales for 1996’s “Star Trek: First Contact,” researcher Hollywood.Com Box-Office said today in an e-mailed statement. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” dropped to second place from first place with sales of $27 million.
The box-office leading debut for “Star Trek” may pave the way for still more films about Captain James T. Kirk, the Vulcan Mr. Spock and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. It also provides the studio, a unit of Viacom Inc., with prospects for additional revenue from video games, toys and other consumer products. The first 10 “Star Trek” films generated $755.6 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada.
Studios are benefiting from a surge in attendance that has lifted ticket revenue 16 percent as of May 10. The increase puts Hollywood on course for record summer sales of $4.6 billion and a new annual high of $10.5 billion, according to Los Angeles- based Hollywood.com Box-Office. The summer season typically accounts for about 40 percent of the year’s box office take.
The new “Star Trek” is a prequel to the original television series that first aired in 1966. The film opens with the birth of Kirk as his mother is evacuated from a starship under attack.
The movie follows Kirk, Spock, Dr. “Bones” McCoy and other characters from the television series as they join the crew of the Enterprise. Chris Pine plays Kirk and Zachary Quinto, co-star of the “Heroes” TV show, is Spock. Karl Urban plays McCoy.
The new “Star Trek” has received almost all upbeat reviews, with 195 of 204 rated positive on the Web site www.rottentomatoes.com.
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at [email protected].
Last Updated: May 10, 2009 13:14 EDT
