May 11, 2009 | by Vic Holtreman 

Star Trek Rocks The Box Office

a scene from star trek

Sure, it’s not the biggest box office opening weekend ever, but for a Star Trek film opening in the second weekend in May, with a blockbuster a week ahead of it (Wolverine), it passed the test with flying colors.

What test? How about “Will people turn out in droves for a Star Trek movie despite the “geek” stereotype?”

Inflation adjusted (to make it more fair for previous films) J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek blew away the opening weekend numbers of every Trek film that came before. In the final analysis, it earned $75.2 million from Friday through Sunday, with an additional $4 million on the late Thursday opening – bringing its total to $79.2 million.

For a Star Trek movie.

Sweet!

Here are the opening weekend numbers of all Trek films for comparison:

Movie Adj Opening Wkend
Star Trek: The Motion Picture $34MM
Star Trek II $35MM
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock $36MM
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home $33MM
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier $31MM
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country $31MM
Star Trek Generations $40MM
Star Trek First Contact $50MM
Star Trek Insurrection $34MM
Star Trek Nemesis $23MM
Star Trek $73MM

As you can see the only previous film that came even remotely close was Star Trek: First Contact, the first fully Next Generation film (and the last good Star Trek film). After that it got ugly with fan support dwindling… and of course if you listen to the folks behind those movies it wasn’t because the movies were getting worse, it was the fans fault for not showing up to “support” the films.

Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt, folks.

Oh, and lest you look at the earlier films and snicker, keep in mind that the earlier films didn’t open on as many screens so just couldn’t get higher than a certain point on that first weekend – they were actually remarkably steady in their first weekend numbers.

In any case, the latest Star Trek film looks like it’s going to re-ignite the franchise in a big way. Personally, although I’m an old fart classic Trek fan, I’m generally happy with the new film and am just super-excited that we’ll be getting more of them.

And it’s not even close to being done, yet. While Wolverine dropped a precipitous 69% in its second weekend (a worse drop than the oft-slammed X-Men 3), I’m betting that Star Trek will have “legs.” I think the opening weekend box office would have been even bigger were it not for the stigma attached to being someone who watches Star Trek (sorry folks, it’s true). However those brave souls who risked being labeled nerds were treated to a movie that they’re now recommending to all their friends who weren’t quite so brave.

Not only is it the type of film that you can see more than once and still be entertained, it’s going to have the kind of word of mouth that will bouy it on its second weekend and beyond (our onsite poll shows 90% of people who saw it rate it at least 4 out of 5 stars). Plus of course we have the “hot guy” factor with Chris Pine as the new Kirk – sure to draw in the women-folk.

I’m betting we see little more than a 50% drop next weekend, and I’ll be adding my ticket purchase to that total.

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Tags: star trek,

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  • Manowar
    As of today, Star Trek has made more money than Wolverine and has been out 1 week less than Wolverine.

    Bring on Transformers...
  • 790
    LOL, Rosie,
    I couldn't agree more! ;-)


    Tuvok is great!
  • Andy S
    Rosie,

    What makes you think that Tuvok was killed off? I have no idea why so many people are having such a fit over the alternate timeline. I really think it opens up so many storylines. Also, I am sure that there are more Vulcans left than those that were saved from the planet. There WERE Vulcan colony planets.

    Or maybe you just wanted another snoozefest like Insurrection?

    Face it people, Trek was slowly dying by being tied into it's canon and the characters in that universe. The only people going to the movies were Trekkies and it wasn't profitable for Paramount to make movies in that universe anymore. I'm glad that Abrams found a way to energize the public into liking Trek again. We now have the characters we know, but we don't KNOW what is going to happen. I like it and I am hoping that we can get another 20+ years of movies out of Trek now.
  • Fury2701
    There's hope for Tuvok.

    He was already over 100 when Voyager was on, so maybe he was off planet when Vulcan was destroyed . . .

    I agree though; they could have rebooted the timeline without destroying Vulcan.
  • Rosie
    STAR TREK was a fun, but rather shallow movie. But as much as I found it entertaining, I HATE the rebooted timeline. Especially since it killed off one of my favorite TREK characters, Tuvok.

    Abrams is an asshole.
  • Vin
    My favorite trek is tos not so much because of the fact that it broke new ground, but because I feel it represents classic scifi. Don't get me wrong, I love riker and picard and TNG was by NO MEANS a bad show. I just found it boring.
  • Andy S
    Fury..

    I agree, that does sound really cool as an idea for a Trek series. That way the writers can sit down and just write one story from beginning to end without trying to extend it for 5,6,7 seasons. One of the things I loved about TOS was that each episode (IMO) held it's own storywise. You really didn't need to know what happened in Episode 12 to enjoy episode 26. I think TNG tied alot of it's episodes together that way. Of course TNG also brought us 2 of the best villains in the Borg AND Q. How cool would it be for a mini-series "Star Trek: The Q-Continuum"?
  • Fury2701
    I read something years ago - in some Sci-Fi magazine about the state of Star Trek and what could be done to reinvigorate it. This was before Enterprise and might have been before Voyager - not sure.

    Anyway - one of the thoughts that I found intriguing was a mini-series formula giving other familar characters or Star Trek races a chance in the spotlight. There's always been talk of a Star Trek:Klingon show for example. Another variation of this idea was a Star Trek show that would re-boot itselt every season. One year set on a Federation starship, one on a planet, next one being about Romulans or something. I always thought that idea would be cool too.
  • 790
    Yeah Fury2701, I wrote it years ago when the direction of the new film was still up in orbit.
    ^
    I happen to know a writer who is in touch with some of the cast of TNG, and is currently writing a Next Gen, mini-series script.

    hope it gets made, its real good so far.
  • Fury2701
    @790

    Am I reading this correctly? You wrote a Star Trek movie treatment?

    And there's a lot of random Star Trek finger pointing going on in this thread. Jeez . . .

    All four series all had great and bad episodes. It's not a big deal. Let's not fight boys and girls . . .
  • Manowar
    @ John "Kahless" Taylor
    "My favorite TOS episode was “Balance of Terror”, where we first see the Romulans. The chess match between the Rom commander and Kirk was just prime."

    That was a great episode. Also, the actor playing the Romulan Captain went on to also play Sarevok(sp) Spock's dad in later episodes....
  • 790
    Thanks Kahless, yeah Sisko was an important part of one of the possible ending and yes his location in the Wormhole was also part of that ending.
    I could have gone several directions, his involvment would have depended on if he would have accepted the deal.

    I think a lot of DS9 fans would have liked how he came back. :-)
  • John "Kahless" Taylor
    My favorite TOS episode was "Balance of Terror", where we first see the Romulans. The chess match between the Rom commander and Kirk was just prime.

    My favorite TNG episode was "Elementary, Dear Data", when the Sherlock Holmes' nemesis Moriarty took over the Enterprise.
  • John "Kahless" Taylor
    @Daniel F
    This is still a free country and your opinion counts. I like both TOS and TNG.

    @790
    You want Sisko in your story? I like your story but didn't he go off to live with the Prophets?
  • BC
    Daniel F

    Not trying to argue or convert you, but I fel the need to addess one thing.....

    TOS was much more than a childs show, I was 8 at the time, but my Grandfather (65 at the time 1966) we watched it together each week, with other family members too, We never missed an episode, it had the reputation of being a family show, also when the conventions started poping up just 4 or 5 years after the cancellation, when I was 14 or 15 I could not go due to cost, these events were attended by an aduance vast in age from 18 to 70, most in attendance were in the middle age group.

    It was the first tv series to take a serious look at colonizing space on a weekly basis. For the time period it was way ahead of its time.

    It was and is more than a space drama, has a good mix of action and adventure and a touch of comedy.

    To All:

    A couple of my favorit epidoes were Space Seed, City on The edge of Forever, and A Piece Of The Action, these are episodes that everyone should see at least once, I would love to see a theatrical release comprised of these 3 episodes!

    BC
  • Manowar
    I hated Whoopi in TNG. I wasn't a big fan of Troy either.
  • Sharpe
    Second time posting on Screen Rant but I can't resist defending the truest Star Trek in this case.

    TNG had one great actor. Patrick Stewart is amazing but his role was silly. The show was unforgivably silly altogether. Wesley Crusher and an annoying Klingon kid named Alexander. A bridge that looks like Macy's cosmetics counter. Etcetera, etcetera. TNG is simply a feminized, politicized TOS.

    The show was basically a flying coffee cafe (how much time was spent in Ten Forward with that ridiculous all-wise Whoopi Goldberg character?) whose producers, Roddenberry "possibly" excluded, didn't know or appreciate the sci-fi ground broken by ST:TOS.

    The Trek shows following TNG were all better in many ways because someone, somewhere learned from some of TNG's mistakes. Heck, even the last season of TNG was a big improvement for the same reason.

    The new movie took a lot of writer's cop-outs but overall Star Trek is back in a good way.
  • Manowar
    Well, i was born in '72 and never seen TOS when it first aired, but I did grow up with it through reruns while a kid. And it's been in reruns ever since and I watch it everytime i bump into it while channel surfing. It is a great show with good actors and amazing chemistry between actors. It's like watching Sci-fi theatre. You need to look beyond the props used. Most of the stories were great. It was even filmed great with the camera angles and use of shadows/mood-lighting and stuff that you don't get from current tv shows.

    Took me 2-3 years before accepting TNG, but fell in love with that show too.

    As for harping on Shatner's acting. Well i don't consider him a good or bad actor. He is a unique actor with his own style. A style that he's maintanined from his earlier shakespearian theatre days, which I think suited his Captain Kirk's persona very well.

    My opinion...
  • Kenji
    I was weary of an alternate time line and all the implications of that. I had not realized, until I saw the new movie, that it meant we don't have to retcon anything. We can see all new adventures with no bearing on TOS. I loved watching Star Trek and the smile never left my face.

    Some of you had low expectations, I had the opposite. I had high expectations of JJ Abrams et al and they did not fail. The movie was a thrill ride and reinvigorated my dreams of becoming and engineer. I love Star Trek once again.
  • Daniel F
    BC I'm actually glad people liked it back then as well for that exact reason. I understand that with out it TNG would of never happened. I am very grateful that it had a cult following in it's time. I loved TNG and enjoyed DS9 from time to time. I don't care that people like it now though I find it odd that people actually think it's good these days. Back in the day there wasn't many good things out to really compare it to. In todays standards though there have been plenty of great shows so I find it odd people still think it's a great show, but I would understand people still enjoying it to latch on to their childhood. I haven't personally insulted anyone for liking I merely gave my blunt honest opinion of the show and Shat.
  • 790
    Also just fyi, if your a fan of "Star Trek, The Next Generation", there's a new dvd compilation that came out today, "Best of TNG". On one disc.
    It contains The Best of Both Worlds,1&2 Yesterdays Enterprise, and The Measure of a Man.

    They also released a best of TOS, it contains City on the edge of Forever, Mirror Mirror, and two others that I forgot,,, sorry,

    There packaged in a cheap package around 15 bucks.
  • 790
    Thanks Gary, I'm going to the book store tomorrow!!!

    Definitely getting those ! ;-)
  • Gary
    790,
    Destiny titles are Gods of night Mere mortals And Lost Souls
    By David Mack .
  • 790
    Thanks Andy I will check those novels out! ;-)
  • Andy S
    It's primarily TNG universe with Ezri Dax in it as well, but it crosses back in Enterprise time also. Good read. I think it took me 4 days to read all 3 books. My GF was NOT amused. LOL.
  • 790
    "Destiny" is what series is that based in ???
    Sounds cool,,,
  • Andy S
    790, it's a 3-part series called Star Trek Destiny, but I think I might have ruined the books by accident for you. Still a great read, though.
  • BC
    This post is for JJ Abrams should he read these posts, shoulod he like to respond to me I dont mind if my email is given to him!

    Well done looking forward to more stories from this cast whom also did Very Well!!

    As a TOS fan I do not mind the plot and look forward to the story continuing in this setting, as it really opens the door to originality for the new cast and future story lines so all can make Star Trek there own, and it also leaves open for exploring estabblished Trek Lore as you did with the Kobie Oshia Maruu test, and how McCoy came to be called bones, amoung others.

    I remember reading when shooting started that the writters strike was on, and as a result you could not change the script in any way, I was really worried when I heard that, but now after having seen it 3 times, how on earth could it be made any better? Good Job Well Done!!!

    I am open to a directors cut and or alternate scenes and or endings that could be included on the DVD release, I have enjoyed these features that were done for other films, 9 times out of 10 I like the 1st released movie best, but always enjoy seeing other ideas. Hope you and paramount can do this!!!

    I am looking forward to Star Trek 2 BC!!! A TOS fan in my 50s!!!
  • 790
    Thanks Andy, no I don't know what (Borg) series that is? What's the title, I'll check it out.

    Hey have you read any of the "Star Trek Strange New Worlds" collections. Those are also real cool. There fan based short stories.
  • BC
    Daniel F I am very gratefull that the VAST MAJORITY of Scifi Fans did not agree with you, as if the majority disliked TOS and felt it was Cheese we would never had gotten The Next Gen or any other star trek!!!

    A landslide of fan mail got season 3 made, as the show had been cancelled near season 2's end. Then after the 3 season was cancelled a constant flow of mail was responded to with the Sat. morn. cartoon, and then conventions started poping up in 1973, 300 were expected over 3500 showed up, the next convention expected 4,000 8,000 came, and the fan mail continued,

    Star Trek Phase 2 was announced in TV guide in spring 1977 or 78 for a fall debue, but with the success of Star Wars Paramount decided to do the unheard of Take A TV show to the movies! and it as a success,

    TOS had a very good box office run, and it was due to there success at the theater, as to why Gene R. was able to sell the NEX Gen To TV, even though many TOS fans did not care for it, it did find a new audiance, as each trek series to follow did, and I did enjoy a few episodes from each one, my expectations for this film Star Trek 11 were very low I expected to hate it, but it is very well done, tonight I enjoyed the 3rd time even more!
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