“Star Trek Beyond” looks to dominate the box office this weekend, with projections of a $60 million opening on 3,800 screens for Paramount Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
But while director Justin Lin’s $185 million production has been getting strong reviews, it looks to fall under the debut of J.J. Abrams’ last two reboots in the long-running sci-fi franchise.
2009’s “Star Trek” bowed to $75.2 million on a $150 million budget, while 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness” opened to $70.2 million on a $190 million budget.
Lin, who directed four movies in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, took over the mantle from Abrams.
“Star Trek Beyond” stars Chris Pine, John Cho, Simon Pegg (who co-wrote the script), Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Sofia Boutella and Idris Elba. The film also features one of the last performances of Anton Yelchin — who died tragically in a freak car accident just a month ago.
The third film in the reboot franchise, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise find themselves in yet another uncharted area of the universe where they face a new, enigmatic foe (Elba) who tests the most central of their beliefs as dutiful foot soldiers of the Federation.
The film boasts an impressive 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes so far and a favorable 71 Metacritic score.
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The same can’t be said for 20th Century Fox’s “Ice Age: Collision Course,” which has a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 15 percent and an unfavorable Metacritic score of 36.
Given the film’s $105 million production budget, it’s not expected to do bang-up business. But if it reaches $40 million, as some experts suggest, it could go on to make a profit — as kids have the rest of the summer to catch the animated sequel. Studio estimates are set much lower, however, at around $25 million.
Returning voice cast includes Ray Romano as Manny, John Leguizamo as Sid, Jennifer Lopez as Shira, Denis Leary as Diego and Queen Latifah as Ellie. This fifth adventure in the series brings the film’s prehistoric characters in a face-off with a meteor.
Also opening wide this weekend is New Line’s PG-13 horror movie “Lights Out,” which expected to reach $15 million for a fifth place finish behind holdovers “The Secret Life of Pets” and “Ghostbusters.”
“Lights Out,” which stars Teresa Palmer as a young woman who fights off a spooky entity that has attached itself to her mother (Maria Bello), is poised for profitability given its $5 million production budget.
The film has a sterling 93 percent Rotten Tomatoes score as of now and a favorable 63 Metascore.