"X-Men: First Class," another superhero film which hit the screen this summer, opened to a 56 million dollar weekend atop the North America box office and helped usher in a sizzling summer for Hollywood.
As the fifth installment of the "X-Men" franchise, "X-Men: First Class" opened on approximately 6,900 screens at 3,641 locations in the United States and Canada, with a movie ticket sales receipt slightly higher than the first "X-Men" (54 million dollars). The actioner, which was marketed as a prequel to the original project, earned nearly 21 million on its opening Friday, similar to the first installment of the franchise.


This is "a solid debut for the fifth installment, that should benefit from good word of mouth" recommendations in the future, industry analyst Paul Dergerabedian said. This is a welcome follow- up to last weekend's enormous movie take and an upbeat sign in Hollywood's effort to win over viewers after a spring of so-so showings.


Starring a field of less well-known actors and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass), the Marvel/Fox's film has received a "B+ " CinemaScore and very positive reviews (92 on Rotten Tomators). The 1960s-themed film, which did not come with 3D and IMAX which is a plus in box office derby, can only rely on words of mouth to maintain the momentum in future showings.


"The Hangover Part II" continued to be popular, with a 32.4 million dollar weekend and a massive 186.9 million take in 10 days. "Kung Fu Panda 2" crossed a magic line with a 24.3 million dollar weekend, good enough for a 100.4 million dollar showing over the same period.


In its third week of exhibition, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was on track to sell 18 million dollars this weekend for a total of 190.3 million dollars domestically.


Fifth place this weekend is "Bridesmaids," which had a 12.1 million dollar weekend and 107.3 million dollars in estimated gate over four weeks.


Rounding out the 10 most-popular movies this weekend, are "Thor " (4.2 million dollars), "Fast Five" (3.2 million dollars), " Midnight In Paris" (2.9 million dollars), "Jumping The Broom" (865, 000 dollars) and "Something Borrowed" (835,000 dollars).


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet