USA TODAY International Edition
‘ X- Men: Apocalypse’ rules, ‘ Alice’ struggles
X- Men: Apocalypse opened with $ 80 million for the long Memorial Day weekend, destroying competition that included Alice Through the Looking Glass, which disappointed with $ 34.2 million over four days.
The Bryan Singer- directed X- Men filled the multiplexes with a cast of mutants that included newcomers Sophie Turner and Tye Sheridan, along with franchise marquee names such as Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender.
But the ninth film in the franchise underperformed against expectations and its own standards, coming in far below Singer’s 2014 Memorial Day outing X- Men: Days of Future Past, which made $ 110.6 million over the same span, according to comScore.
Apocalypse was hurt by harsh reviews, scoring a paltry 48% positive critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. com, while audiences graded it an A- at CinemaScore.
“There’s no reason to complain about an $ 80 million four- day weekend,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “But certainly other films in the franchise have had better reviews and seen better box office.”
Alice Through the Looking Glass had its own issues, even as it brought back much of the same cast from Tim Burton’s quirky 2010 film version of Alice in Won- derland, which starred Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska and Anne Hathaway and opened with $ 116 million.
Looking Glass, directed by James Bobin, was stung by critics, with just 30% liking it on Rotten Tomatoes; audiences were kinder, grading it an A- on CinemaScore.
The Angry Birds Movie flew into third place with $ 24.6 million for the holiday weekend. The animated film based on the popular game app has earned $ 72.3 million in two weeks.
Captain America: Civil War landed in fourth with $ 19.7 million over four days. In its fourth weekend, the Marvel superhero adventure passed Deadpool ($ 362.8 million) to become the year’s biggest film to date domestically with $ 377.2 million.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising rounded out the top five, taking $ 11.5 million over the long holiday. The R- rated comedy has earned $ 40.7 million after two weekends in theaters.
Final numbers are expected Tuesday.