Four years after the rebooted Star Trek resurrected the sci-fi franchise, Paramount and director J.J. Abrams [JABRA] finally delivers the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness [TREK2]. Chris Pine [CPINE] returns as Captain Kirk along with the rest of the new cast of starship Enterprise to take on a new/old villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch [BCUMB]. 2009’s Star Trek successfully expanded the audience beyond the hardcore Trekkies, and the anticipation has been building steadily for four long years. Each reveal of a new trailer have only added to the buzz to the point that Paramount moved up the release date by one day to Thursday. Other studios have long stayed clear of this weekend. The PG-13 rated sequel has added 3D as well as scenes shot in IMAX, which allowed for advanced showings Wednesday night that earned $3.3 million. The extended opening weekend will spread the moviegoers around, but Star Trek Into Darkness should still be able to top Star Trek’s $75.2 million opening weekend due to more fans paying higher ticket prices. Beaming into 3868 theaters, Star Trek Into Darkness could replicate $88 million from Friday through Sunday and $108 million including Thursday.
After breaking the $1 billion mark worldwide, Iron Man 3 [IRNM3] will cross the $300 million milestone domestically. With Star Trek Into Darkness taking the most profitable screens, Iron Man 3 could fall another 58% to about $30 million.
After a better than expected debut, The Great Gatsby [GATSB] has held up well during the week, even eclipsing Iron Man 3 on Wednesday. However, competition from Star Trek Into Darkness will pull some of the potential audience away. A drop around 48% would bring The Great Gatsby another $26 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): JABRA, TREK2, CPINE, BCUMB, IRNM3, GATSB
