The second of the summer’s four superhero films rolls into theaters as this weekend’s lone wide release. X-Men: First Class [XMEN4] resets the franchise back to the 1960s with a new cast led by James McAvoy [JMCAV] and Michael Fassbender [MFASS] as young Professor X and Magneto when they were still friends. The previous installment X-Men Origins: Wolverine was also a prequel, but featured the same actor, Hugh Jackman, in the role of the series’ most popular character. Though it opened to $85 million in 2009, Wolverine was not well-received by audiences, which lowers the anticipation factor for the new film. Fox has nevertheless built up buzz from fans with well-cut trailers for the PG-13 rated film directed by Matthew Vaughn [MVAUG]. Excellent reviews should also reassure fans who are sitting on the fence. The lack of any big stars though will limit its appeal for the mainstream moviegoers. X-Men: First Class looks to book roughly $72 million from 3641 theaters.
After setting the highest opening weekend record for a comedy, The Hangover Part II [HNOV2] is likely to have been frontloaded by fans eager to check out the sequel. The Hangover Part II could recover less than 50% of its debut and partake around $41 million during its second frame.
Although Kung Fu Panda 2 [PAND2] opened less than the first film, the animated film should hold well with no other competition for the family audience. Kung Fu Panda 2 may decline less than 40% to about $30 million.
Sailing into its third weekend, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [PIRT4] may uncover another $21 million.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): XMEN4, JMCAV, MFASS, MVAUG, HNOV2, PAND2, PIRT4