Barring its many computer generated effects and character animation, the newly opened X-Men is largely, and intended as, a live-action movie, but it’s still just within our genre of reporting and its opening weekend numbers are such a staggering amount that it well warrants a mention! Proving that audiences will still make the trip to theaters when a film interests them to the right degree, Fox’s third in the series, The Last Stand, has bowed to an all-time box-office record-smashing opening weekend take of over $120 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend – the biggest in movie history. This also bodes extremely well for continuing episodes in the series and for new director Brett Ratner’s take on the characters, which he seems to have pulled off after initial fan concerns. Ratner replaced the first two movies’ Bryan Singer when he jumped ship to the Superman Returns franchise. All eyes will now be on the Man Of Steel to beat Singer’s old stomping ground gang in the theaters when that film opens in just under a month.

In other, more strictly animated box office news, DreamWorks/Paramount’s Over The Hedge remained in the top three, with a further $35.3m adding to its total domestic week-long take of $84.4 million. For more, head on over to The Hollywood Reporter.

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