Box Office: 'X-Men: First Class' takes $56M

"X-Men: First Class" earned 20th Century Fox a win at the North American box office Sunday, grabbing a decent $56 million in ticket sales. While that's a bit higher than the opening of the first "X-Men," it's also far behind the debuts of the previous sequels.

"First Class" scored an average of $15,380 per theater at 3,641 locations. In comparison, "Wolverine" took $85 million, "X2" snatched $85.5 million and "X-Men: The Last Stand" scored $102 million. "First Class" was produced on a budget of $160 million.

Dropping to second place this weekend was "The Hangover Part II," which after picking up a strong $32.4 million, is closing in on the $200 million mark with a domestic total of $186.8 million. Its predecessor made it all the way to a stunning $277 million.

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Box Office: 'Hangover Part II' triumphs with $86M

It has been a great holiday weekend for Todd Phillips' "The Hangover Part II," because the sequel to the 2009 comedy hit bagged a massive $86.4 million, which is double the earnings "The Hangover" brought in on opening weekend. Way to go, Wolfpack!

"Part II" scorced an average of $23,923 per theater at 3,615 locations, lifting its cumulative gross to an impressive $118 million (the film opened Thursady). The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha and Ken Jeong.

Coming in at No. 2 this weekend was "Kung Fu Panda 2," which collected $48 million from ticket sales at 3,925 sites. Although this is not a terrible performance, the sequel failed to beat the $60-million opening weekend gross of its 2008 predecessor.

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Box Office: 'Pirates of the Caribbean' 4 wins with $90M

Captain Jack and his pirate buddies took over the North American box office this weekend with a decent $90.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The fourth film in the adventure series scored an average of $21,685 per theater at 4,155 locations.

Still, Rob Marshall's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" failed to match the $114 million opening weekend gross of its predecessor "At World's End." The flick did play in less theaters, but then again, ticket prices (especially for 3D showings) are higher these days.

At a distant No. 2, "Bridesmaids" celebrated yet another strong weekend, bagging $21 million from ticket sales at 2,937 sites. The comedy starring Kristen Wiig as a maid of honor trying to control a bunch of crazy bridesmaids lifted its total haul to $59.5 million.

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'Bridesmaids' now beating 'Thor' at box office

"Bridesmaids" has been doing pretty well the last couple of days, taking over the top spot at the North American box office with $2.9 million Monday and $3.4 million Tuesday. Indeed, Kristen Wiig and her crazy girls have forced "Thor" to take a step back and settle for second place.

Still, "Thor" wasn't far behind. On Monday, Paramount's action adventure brought in $2.8 million, and on Tuesday, the film bagged $3 million. Its domestic total currently stands at 125.4 million. "Bridesmaids" has lifted its cumulative gross to $32.6 million after only a few days in release.

Neither "Thor" nor "Bridesmaids" will reign the box office this weekend, because "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" will easily win the race via screenings at 4,000 locations. Captain Jack Sparrow is back, and he's hungry for more box office gold.

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

Box Office: 'Thor' defeats 'Bridesmaids'

Paramount's sci-fi action blockbuster "Thor" easily defeated its new competition at the North American box office this weekend to stay at the top of the chart, earning a solid $34.5 million in ticket sales from 3,963 sites. "Thor" lifted its domestic gross to a strong $119.2 million.

At No. 2, "Bridesmaids" picked up $24.4 million via an average of $8,365 per theater at 2,918 locations. That's a pretty darn solid result for the Judd Apatow-produced comedy starring Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne. In the film, Wiig plays a maid of honor who had serious trouble handling a bunch of crasy bridesmaids.

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New 'Thor' trailer looks pretty epic

The brand-new trailer for Kenneth Branagh's upcoming action adventure "Thor" has debuted online, and I highly suggest you check it out after the jump. It's quite the beauty, boasting some sick action-packed moments rich in special effects and mayhem. And yes, you'll giggle once or twice as well.

"Thor" opens in 3D May 6, 2011, and the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Kat Dennings and Ray Stevenson. This new trailer promises a fun ride, that's for sure. For more "Thor" info, head over to the official page at http://thor.marvel.com/.

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Two new images from 'Thor' debut online

We've seen a bunch of photos from "Thor" showing up online lately, and here are two more stills from the adventure directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film will open in 3D and 2D May 6, 2011.

The stills below give you a good look at Chris Hemsworth as Thor. The other one features Thor in front of Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Tom Hiddleston, Joshua Dallas, Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings co-star.

The second photo below was put online by USA Today. Look out for more of these goodies as San Diego Comic Con gets underway this weekend. So far, I have to say I've been quite intrigued by "Thor."

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New 'Thor' photo: Anthony Hopkins as Odin

Here's a good first look at Anthony Hopkins as Odin in Kenneth Branagh's upcoming action adventure "Thor," which is on track for a release May 6, 2011. Also in the still above is Thor (with hammer) and Loki.

Chris Hemsworth plays Thor, whereas Loki is played by Tom Hiddleston. The cast also includes Joshua Dallas, Natalie Portman, Clark Gregg, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba and Stellan Skarsgård.

Now, in related news, "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" will be released in 3D. The bad news is both films are shot in 2D and will be converted to 3D. To tell you the truth, this was inevitable.

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Check out Chris Hemsworth as 'Thor'

Kenneth Branagh's action adventure "Thor" will arrive in theaters May 6, 2011, and the folks at Yahoo!Movies have scored the very first and official look at lead actor Chris Hemsworth in the role of Dr. Donald Blake aka. Thor. Check him out in the still above. No, the hammer is nowhere to be seen.

Hemsworth is Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. He is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Clark Gregg's Coulson appears in 'Thor'

Clark Gregg played Agent Coulson in "Iron Man" and reprised his role in the upcoming "Iron Man 2," and guess what: He will play the same character again in Kenneth Branagh's upcoming flick "Thor."

Yep! Variety reports Gregg's character will indeed make an appearance in the superhero movie about a powerful but arrogant warrior (Chris Hemsworth) whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war.

Gregg joins a cast that already includes Joshua Dallas, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Gregg's recent credits also include "(500) Days of Summer" and TV's "The New Adventures of Old Christine."