Box Office: 'Green Lantern' rules with $52M

Martin Campbell's "Green Lantern" scored an easy win at the North American box office this weekend with an estimated $52.6 million in ticket sales. It will take the film a while to earn back the $200 million it cost, but for now, this is not a terrible start.

"Green Lantern," which stars Ryan Reynolds in the role of a hero wearing one powerful ring, scored an average of $13,806 per theater at 3,816 locations. That's double the average secured by "Super 8," which came in second this weekend with $21.2 million.

Helmed by J.J. Abrams, the sci-fi movie lifted its cumulative gross to $72.7 million, which is quite the solid start for a flick that only cost $50 million to make. "Super 8" also fought off new entry "Mr. Popper's Penguins," which desbuted at No. 3 with $18.2 million.

Starring Jim Carrey, the family film directed by Mark Waters follows a dude who inherits a bunch of energetic penguins. Playing at 3,339 sites, the flick scored a fairly decent average of $5,451 per theater, although it should've performed a little better.

Meanwhile, "X-Men: First Class" dropped to fourth place with $11.5 million, lifting its total haul to $119.9 million. Following at No. 5 with $9.6 million was "The Hangover Part II," which brought its cume to $232.6 million. The sequel still has a while to go before it reaches the $277 its predecessor took home.

At No. 6, "Kung Fu Panda 2" pulled another $8.7 million, reaching a total gross of $143.3 million. "Bridesmaids" followed in seventh place, earning $7.4 million for a domestic total of $136.8 million. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" finished the weekend with $6.2 million ($220.3 million total).

At the end of the top 10, Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" bagged $5.2 million at No. 9, bringing its early cume to $21.7 million. "Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer" took another big hit at No. 10, collecting only $2.2 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)