“Star Trek” beamed itself to the top of the box office, earning $76.5 million in its opening weekend.
Paramount Pictures had estimated that the movie would make about $50 million for the weekend, but figured that strong reviews helped carry it to the bigger opening.
“Star Trek,” which reveals the back stories of Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise, is an unusual blockbuster that pleased critics, too.
Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore said he expected the movie, which had a $140 million budget, would gross more than $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.
As expected, last week’s top film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” came in at No. 2, with $27 million. The prequel to the “X-Men” franchise has made nearly $129.6 million in two weeks.