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Trekkies are alive and well, and proved so by beaming themselves up to the top of the weekend box office with the new "Star Trek" film warping past the competition.
Director J.J. Abrams' reinvention of the classic Star Trek franchise pulled in a whopping $76.5 million over the weekend, including an $8.2 million number at IMAX showings, despite a relatively unknown cast -- Eric Bana and "Heroes" Zachary Quinto are probably the most recognizable names.
The new "Star Trek" reveals the back stories of the original cast, including Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
With a astounding 96% positive reviews on film site, Rotten Tomatoes, among other sources, studios expect "Star Trek" to keep raking in ticket sales, eventually grossing over $200 million total this summer, even with competition like "Terminator: Salvation" coming on May 21 and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" arriving in theaters July 15.
"You look at the level of critical response and the audience reaction, we definitely feel like the movie is set to play into Memorial Day and into the summer," Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore told the Associated Press.
Last week's leader, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," came in at #2 this weekend with $27 million. The prequel to the "X-Men" franchise stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, as it tells his backstory from a child. In two weeks, its made nearly $129.6 million.
Warner Bros.' romantic comedy, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past", starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, landed at #3 with another $10.4 million; "Obsessed", starring Beyonce and Ali Larter, nabbed the #4 spot with $6.6 in ticket sales; while Zac Efron's "17 Again" earned the #5 spot with $4.4 million.
The other new, widely released this weekend was the Benny Boom directed comedy "Next Day Air." Despite a solid urban cast -- starring Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def -- the film came in at #6, selling just $4 million.
Next weekend's big release is the Ron Howard thriller, starring Tom Hanks, "Angels & Demons," from the author of "The DaVinci Code."
Director J.J. Abrams' reinvention of the classic Star Trek franchise pulled in a whopping $76.5 million over the weekend, including an $8.2 million number at IMAX showings, despite a relatively unknown cast -- Eric Bana and "Heroes" Zachary Quinto are probably the most recognizable names.
The new "Star Trek" reveals the back stories of the original cast, including Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
With a astounding 96% positive reviews on film site, Rotten Tomatoes, among other sources, studios expect "Star Trek" to keep raking in ticket sales, eventually grossing over $200 million total this summer, even with competition like "Terminator: Salvation" coming on May 21 and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" arriving in theaters July 15.
"You look at the level of critical response and the audience reaction, we definitely feel like the movie is set to play into Memorial Day and into the summer," Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore told the Associated Press.
Last week's leader, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," came in at #2 this weekend with $27 million. The prequel to the "X-Men" franchise stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, as it tells his backstory from a child. In two weeks, its made nearly $129.6 million.
Warner Bros.' romantic comedy, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past", starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, landed at #3 with another $10.4 million; "Obsessed", starring Beyonce and Ali Larter, nabbed the #4 spot with $6.6 in ticket sales; while Zac Efron's "17 Again" earned the #5 spot with $4.4 million.
The other new, widely released this weekend was the Benny Boom directed comedy "Next Day Air." Despite a solid urban cast -- starring Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def -- the film came in at #6, selling just $4 million.
Next weekend's big release is the Ron Howard thriller, starring Tom Hanks, "Angels & Demons," from the author of "The DaVinci Code."
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