Writer and Director J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 is off to an admirable start at the box office, but not one that will be remembered for being overly successful or weak.
Coming off approximately $8 million from Thursday preview showings promoted via Twitter, Super 8 earned an additional $12.2 million on Friday from just under 3,400 screens. If Super 8 can hold course, it should finish its opening weekend somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million.
Second place on Friday went to Fox’s X-Men: First Class with $7.6 million. The mutant prequel dropped 65% from its opening Friday a week ago and currently has accumulated $81.5 million in box office sales. That number lags behind the previous four X-Men films, but should be strong enough to propel X-Men: First Class past the $100 million mark. Look for it to finish the weekend between $20 and $25 million.
The Hangover Part II tacked on an additional $5.7 million to its big pot and passed the $200 million mark the same time. Its earnings decline is pacing faster than the original The Hangover, but it’s still considered a huge success and a sequel is already in the early stages of moving forward.
Rounding out the top 5 box office draws on Friday were Kung Fu Panda 2 with $4.6 million and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with $3.1 million. Check back tomorrow afternoon for the complete weekend box office studio estimates.
