Dark Phoenix, the final installment of Fox's long-running X-Men franchise, is now open in theaters everywhere and its Thursday night preview box office suggests the superhero film may be in for a disappointing opening weekend.
The film's domestic box office total from Thursday night screenings reached $5 million, putting the film on pace to earn anywhere from $45-55 million domestically across its opening weekend. Low-end estimates would give the franchise its lowest opening weekend, with The Wolverine currently holding the dubious position with its $53.1 million earned domestically from its 2013 opening.
Dark Phoenix is opening against The Secret Life of Pets 2, which is currently on track to win the domestic box office this weekend. Industry analysts predict a $60 million opening for the animated sequel. Early reports also indicate low audience interest in Dark Phoenix overseas, further pointing to a franchise-low opening weekend.
In addition to its disappointing box office estimates, the film currently has a critics score of 22% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, another franchise-worst distinction for Dark Phoenix. This suggests the Fox comic book franchise will end its run on a weak note.
Directed and written by Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Holt, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters and Jessica Chastain. The film is out in theaters now.
via Business Insider