Box Office: 'Cars 2' finishes first with $68M!

The weekend at the movies belonged to the new releases, because "Cars 2" and "Bad Teacher" took over the North American box office, leaving their competition in the dust. Pixar's sequel to "Cars," for instance, grabbed a strong $68 million. 

That's right! "Cars 2" earned $8 million more than its predecessor, which comes as quite a surprise, considering the buzz around this film was clearly lower than that for, let's say, "Toy Story 3." Even critics didn't welcome "Cars 2" as warmly as they usually do a Pixar flick.

At No. 2, Cameron Diaz's comedy "Bad Teacher" bagged a strong $31 million from showings at 3,049 sites. In the film, Diaz plays a rough teacher shaking things up at a school. Yes, those two films alone brought in $100 million this weekend.

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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.

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'Super 8' is No. 1 with $12M Friday

J.J. Abrams' sci-fi flick "Super 8" delivered quite the solid start at the North American box office Friday, bagging an estimated $12.2 million from ticket sales at 3,379 locations. The film could wind up with a $35 million weekend.

Produced by Steven Spielberg, "Super 8" follows a group of kids who witness a horrific train crash that unleashes some sort of threstening force over their small town. "Super 8" scored an average of $3,611 per theater Friday.

Also doing pretty well still was "X-Men: First Class," which collected $7.6 million in second place. The prequel brought its domestic gross to $81.4 million. "The Hangover Part II" followed in third place, pulling $5.7 million ($203.8 million total).

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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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'X-Men: First Class' earns $21M Friday

Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: First Class" prequel scored an okay start at the North American box office Friday, grabbing an estimated $21 million in ticket sales from 3,642 sites. That said, the film failed to even come near the solid $34.4 million opening day of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

"X-Men First Class" should be able to finish this weekend with a cume of around $50 million, which is decent, but certainly not great. Friday's gross of $21 million includes the $3.4 million the flick scored from midnight screenings. Maybe word of mouth will give the prequel another boost.

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'X-Men: First Class' grabs $3.4 million at midnight

Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: First Class" did pretty well at the box office last night, because the 20th Century Fox prequel grabbed a satisfying $3.4 million from midnight shows, which is very close to the $3.3 million "Thor" grabbed when it opened.

It will be pretty interesting to see how the film performs, considering it's a prequel and isn't filled with big-name actors. I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard great things. I also encourage you to read our writer Danny's excellent review right here.

By the way, "X-Men: First Class" is now playing at 3,641 theaters. It could fetch as much as $65 million this weekend. Who out there will see it this weekend?

Movie Review: 'X-Men: First Class'

Seen on: May 31, 2011

The players: Director: Matthew Vaughn, Writers: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goodman, Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne

Facts of interest: Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy both appeared in “Band of Brothers.”

The plot: The origin of the superhero team, the X-Men, is told against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Our thoughts: The “X-Men” has been one of the most popular series of comic books in the Marvel cannon for decades. The popularity skyrocketed when Bryan Singer (director of “The Usual Suspects”) turned the comic stories into two of the most successful and highly regarded superhero movies of the past few years.

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This week's new movie releases - June 3, 2011

It is time for another week with only one major release. Seems a bit weird considering it's the summer season, but then again, this film is bound for box office success. Of course, I am talking about Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: First Class," which drops this Friday!

"First Class" is the anticipated "X-Men" prequel that follows Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) as he starts up a school and later a team for humans with superhuman abilities. Among them is Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), his best friend and future archenemy.

Expectations for this one are high, but photos and trailers have been incredibly promising. Plus, I have no problem putting all my faith into Matthew Vaughn. He's a dab hand at directing superbly entertaining flicks loaded with strong charaacters and intriguing stories.

Watch this new 'X-Men: First Class' clip

Matthew Vaughn's anticipated "X-Men: First Class" action adventure is set to open in theaters June 3, 2011, and Yahoo! just released a new clip from the prequel chronicling the beginning of Charles Xavier and Magneto. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence lead an all-star cast.

This particular clip, which you can check out after the jump, introduces viewers to Hank McCoy, also known as Beast (played by Nicholas Hoult). And is it only me or does Jennifer Lawrence looks pretty good as Raven Darkholme? Anyway, see for yourself.

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Trailer for 'X-Men: First Class' now online

The teaser trailer for Matthew Vaughn's upcoming "X-Men" prequel "X-Men: First Class" is now online, and you can admire it right after the jump. It's a short teaser only, but I admit it looks pretty good. I expected to see a bit more action, but this definitely gives us a good first look at the characters and look of the flick.

"First Class," which opens June 3, 2011, focuses on what was going on with Professor X and Magneto when they were close friends. Michael Fassbender plays Magneto, and James McAvoy is X. Also starring are January Jones, Jennifer Lawrence and Rose Byrne. With Vaughn behind the camera, I'm sure this one will deliver.

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