X-Men: First Class took the top spot at the weekend box office with an estimated $56 million in ticket revenue. The pre-weekend estimates predicted the film would probably bring in $50-60 million in box office takes, which puts the movie right about in the middle of expectations.
“We are ecstatic,” says Chris Aronson of 20th Century Fox told USAToday.com of the film’s weekend box office opening. “This was a complete reboot. We completely redid the cast. And it still was a hit.”
Starring James McAvoy, January Jones and a cast of up and coming fresh young actors, X-Men: First Classis set in the 1960s during the Cold War and Cuban Missile Crisis. The film focuses on the relationship of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr (Magneto) and the creation of their respective mutant groups, the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.
X-Men: First Class reportedly cost around $160 million to produce. The film easily beat out last weekend’s top movie, The Hangover: Part II, which came in second with an estimated $32.4 million. Kung Fu Panda 2 landed in third place with $24.3 million. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Bridesmaids rounded out the top five with $18 million and $12.1 million respectively.