Despite helping to kick-off the entire superhero blockbuster trend in Hollywood, the "X-Men" franchise over at 20th Century Fox has always been a divisive series among fans. Casual move-goers tend to enjoy the grounded approach of the films, while comic book fans are perpetually irked at the difference in tone. That polarizing trend has continued with "X-Men: Apocalypse," receiving mixed reviews ahead of its domestic release today.
Though "Apocalypse" has yet to truly open in the U.S. and is dealing with less than stellar reviews, 20th Century Fox is already making a killing at the worldwide box office. That should help numb some of the pain.
According to Variety, "X-Men: Apocalypse" has already made around $130 million overseas. The film opened last week in 77 markets, pulling in $101 million in its first weekend. As of right now, director Bryan Singer's fourth entry into the "X-Men" series is tracking for an $80 million opening weekend domestically (tracking reports this year have been conservative compared to final totals). No, those aren't Marvel or "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" numbers, but they are more than good enough to keep the "X-Men" series chugging along at a brisk pace for the foreseeable future.
Update: Based on Thursday night numbers, "X-Men: Apocalypse" could crack $100 million in its opening weekend.
"Captain America: Civil War" opened to $179 million earlier this month, while "Batman v Superman" grabbed $166 million back in March. The "X-Men" series may not have as big of brand names as the latter or the public support of the former, but an $80 million opening weekend would be just a slight drop from "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which scored a $90 million opening in 2014. The film would still be well on pace to cross the half-billion dollar mark. Plus, the "X-Men" universe just received a huge infusion of new blood thanks to February's "Deadpool" and its shared universe leading $763 million worldwide.
Marvel consistently hits homeruns, Warner Bros./DC Films just struck out (kind of), and Fox seems happy to continue hitting RBI singles and doubles. It will be very interesting to see the final weekend totals for "Apocalypse" and what it may mean for the series going forward.
We'll be sure to keep you posted.
