A lot of people were expecting Star Trek Into Darkness, with the added benefit of 3D and a big-time villain its center, to open a whole lot bigger than the first Star Trek film that J.J. Abrams directed in 2009. And while the movie is much bigger than the first one overseas-- which is what really counts these days-- it's not any bigger here at home, and that's even with the 3D bump. According to The Hollywood Reporter the movie made about $22 million on Friday, putting it on track for an $83 million four-day weekend opening-- just a hair above the $79.2 million Star Trek made in 2009.
Of course, that movie went on to make $257 million domestically, which is no small potatoes even with a movie this huge. But Into Darkness may be proof that, while Star Trek films can be bigger than ever these days, they can't hold a candle to the likes of the Marvel films. Speaking of which, Iron Man 3 came in second at the Friday box office, making $9.5 million to bring its domestic total to $311.4 million. And last week's surprise hit The Great Gatsby was right behind it, making $7.7 million on Friday and on track to cross the $100 million mark after just two weeks in theaters.
We'll have a full box office report to you tomorrow, but in the meantime, join our spoiler-filled conversation about Star Trek Into Darkness, or the pile-up against Mack, who dared to argue that Benedict Cumberbatch should never become a leading man. We'll see you again on Sunday.
