Hitting nearly 4,000 theaters this upcoming weekend, sci-fi adventure "Star Trek" should be far and away the number one draw. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is also likely to post strong numbers in its second weekend, which could be enough to make it the biggest weekend so far in 2009.
After "Star Trek: Nemesis" tanked back in 2002, the "Star Trek" movie franchise has been a prime target for a complete revamping. Director J.J. Abrams's new film will be exactly that as it tells the origin story of Captain James Kirk, one of the most celebrated science fiction characters of both television and movies.
Considering the popularity of recent origin stories, including the successful launch of X-Men's "Wolverine" a week ago, "Star Trek" is likely to have great appeal for fans of the series. Abrams also brings a strong action reputation, as he was the director of blockbuster "Mission Impossible III" and producer of last year's hit "Cloverfield." With the promise of intense action, "Star Trek" will also appeal to the same action demographic that made "Fast and Furious" a smash hit in addition to the Trekkies.
"Star Trek" also brings with it a considerable amount of positive critical buzz, something that "Wolverine" lacked. The presence of "Wolverine" could slow it down somewhat, however, and will likely keep it from nearing $100 million for the weekend. Still, look for "Star Trek" to be a big hit this weekend and in the weeks to come, potentially making it Paramount's biggest success of the year. A $90 million weekend seems very possible.
Also getting released this weekend is the comedy "Next Day Air," starring Mos Def and Mike Epps. With a release of barely more than 1,000 theaters, however, "Next Day Air" shouldn't see too big of an opening. Also likely hurting its overall appeal will be its R-rating, which may even keep it out of the top five.
With both "Star Trek" and "Wolverine" dominating the older teenage and younger adult demographics, "Next Day Air" will also likely be somewhat negatively affected. "Next Day Air" should open somewhere in the $5 - $7 million range, which would likely be just enough to land in the top five.
In its second weekend in theaters, "Wolverine" should see a substantial slide but will still be a tremendous draw. After coming off an $85 million opening weekend - number one in 2009 - "Wolverine" has done well in international markets in addition to the solid numbers posted in the United States. "Wolverine" has already posted $80 million in foreign revenue and $178 million worldwide and it should remain a substantial international draw for many weeks to come.
"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" should also remain a respectable draw in its second weekend in theaters as it continues to appeal to date audiences looking to stay out of the long lines for "Star Trek" and "Wolverine." But after a ho-hum opening of $15 million a week ago, long-term expectations aren't very high and "Ghosts" should be pushed toward the bottom half of the top ten relatively shortly.
Next weekend will mark the controversial release of "Angels & Demons," the sequel to the popular film/book "The Da Vinci Code." Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, "Angels & Demons" should be among the biggest worldwide draws of the year. With "Star Trek" and "Wolverine" still likely to post big numbers, next weekend could be among the most lucrative box office weekends in 2009.
RTT Box Office Estimates for May 8 - May 10:
1) Star Trek (Paramount): $90
2) X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox): $45
3) Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Warner Brothers): $8
4) Obsessed (Sony): $6
5) Next Day Air (Summit): $5.5
6) 17 Again (Warner Brothers): $3.5
7) Monsters vs. Aliens (Paramount/Dreamworks): $3.3
8) The Soloist (Paramount/Dreamworks): $3
9) Earth (Buena Vista): $2.5
10) Fighting (Rogue): $2
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.