‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Wins Memorial Day Weekend, ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ Flops

Lackluster holiday weekend box office led by $80 million from Fox sequel

alice through the looking glass x men apocalypse

Led by a massive cast of mutants stars, including Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Michael Fassbender as Magneto and series newcomer Oscar Isaac as the evil Apocalypse, “X-Men: Apocalypse” won the four-day Memorial Day weekend box office with an estimated $80 million.

The 20th Century Fox sequel didn’t make nearly as much as its predecessor, “Days of Future Past,” which brought in $110.6 million when it opened on the holiday weekend in 2014 — and ranks at No. 5 of all-time Memorial Day weekend returns.

Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” came in second place. The sequel to the 2010 Disney hit presented little competition, bombing with a four-day estimated total of $34.2 million.

Plagued by bad reviews and bad word of mouth, “Alice” brought in less than half of initial estimates that set it at around $65 million.

It would be easy to associate the domestic abuse accusations against “Alice” star Johnny Depp with the film’s weak performance, but experts tell TheWrap that the claim from his ex, Amber Heard, had little to do with the movie flopping. (Depp has denied the allegations.)

Much like the “X-Men: Apocalypse,” the “Alice” sequel is somewhat less popular with critics than its 2010 predecessor. The current Disney movie now has a 29 percent approval rating from critics counted on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the first installment — a bona fide hit — proved to be pan-proof, grossing $116.1 million at the box office when it opened in spite of a mere 52 percent approval rating. “Looking Glass” has an A- CinemaScore.

Four-day estimates have “The Angry Birds Movie” coming in at No. 3, the Sony animated feature making $24.6 million in its second weekend. Fourth place goes to “Captain America: Civil War,” grossing $19.7 million in its fourth weekend. The Disney-Marvel sequel moved ahead of “Deadpool” on Sunday to become the highest grossing movie of the year. “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” is No. 5 this holiday weekend, bringing in an estimated $11.4 million.

X-Men movies have a track record of leading the Memorial Day weekend box office. But totaling in at about $204 million, this year’s group of movies did not gross nearly enough to beat 2013’s record of $314.2 million in collective weekend grosses, led by “Fast & Furious 6.”

By Sunday, “X-Men: Apocalypse” grossed an estimated $65 million — much less than “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which amassed $102.8 million by Sunday in 2006, and “Days of Future Past,” which grossed $90.8 million by that day in 2014.

“Last Stand” brought in $122.9 million after the four-day weekend in 2006 and ranks at No. 3 of all-time Memorial Day weekend domestic grosses, just behind 2008’s “Indiana Jones Kingdom Crystal Skull” ($126.9 million) and 2007’s “Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End” ($139.8 million).

Early tracking had the “X-Men” sequel aiming for $100 million over this four-day weekend, including Monday’s results. Studio estimates, however, were set a bit lower, at just above $80 million.

Directed again by Bryan Singer, the Fox film played on 4,150 screens and was made on a production budget of $178 million — about $12 million less than the cost of 2014’s “X-Men” installment.

Offered in 3D, RealD-equipped theaters accounted for roughly $23.5 million of “X-Men”‘s four-day grosses.

With a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 47 percent, the new “X-Men” sequel is much less popular with critics than “Days of Future Past,” which had a 91 percent approval rating. But audiences were still revved up for the film, given its A- CinemaScore.

The Top Five:

1. “X-Men: Apocalypse” (20th Century Fox) — $80 million in Week 1 ($80 million total)
2. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (Disney) — $34.2 million in Week 1 ($34.2 million total)
3. “The Angry Birds Movie” (Sony) — $24.6 million in Week 2 ($72.3 million total)
4. “Captain America: Civil War” (Disney) — $19.7 million in Week 4 ($377.2 million total)
5. “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (Universal) — $11.4 million in Week 2 ($40.7 million total)

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