The new 'X-Men' is going to dominate the weekend box office, despite mixed reviews
The ninth "X-Men" film, which brings stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender back to their mutant roles matched against new foes played by Oscar Isaac and Olivia Munn, currently has a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But the blockbuster is projected to make around $85 million over the long weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Though "Apocalypse" is on par with the Thursday earning of the previous X-Men movie, "Days of Future Past" ($8.1 million), Fox is gun-shy to predict a $100 million opening for its latest X-Men flick ("Future Past" opened at over $110 million when it debuted in the US on Memorial Day weekend of 2014).
A big reason for this hesitancy could be the polarizing nature of "Apocalypse." But general audiences are very excited to see the movie, as its pre-order sales are close to those of "Future Past," according to Fandango.
Though the studio has been dominating 2016, its latest release, "Alice Through the Looking Glass," looks to be a dud. The movie has a meager 27% on Rotten Tomatoes and took in $1.5 million on Thursday, for a weekend projection of around $60 million, according to Deadline.
This is just a minor speed bump for Disney, as its titles on deck (particularly "Finding Dory" opening June 17) will put the company right back in the driver's seat.
This Memorial Day weekend will certainly be a better one for Hollywood than last year, as the George Clooney-starrer "Tomorrowland" topped the 2015 holiday with a soft $42.7 million.