Updated, 1:25 p.m. PT

Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth may deliver yet for Universal.

“Snow White and the Huntsman” debuted to $1.38 million at 1,092 theaters Thursday night, an encouraging sign for a studio in need of a boost.

While that is a smaller cume than “Men In Black 3” pulled in last week -- it made $1.55 million -- “Snow White” opened on about half the number of screens.

Universal is now looking at $17 to $19 million Friday with a weekend total between $48 and $52 million.

Analysts had predicted an opening between $42 and $50 million, and this performance may push it over $50 million.

Also read: 'Snow White' and How Its 'Lord of the Rings' Connection Led to Warrior Dwarves [4]

Universal had been managing expectations all week as the studio hopes to avoid another “Battleship”-like mess. Brian Roberts, CEO of NBCUniversal parent company Comcast, just tempered predictions for the whole company’s second quarter due to the performance of “Battleship” and “The Five-Year Engagement.”

Many studios have been jittery over the past few weeks, as "The Avengers" swallowed up movies like "Dark Shadows" and "The Dictator."