'Star Trek Beyond' triumphs at the box office. Will the franchise succeed, too?
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
As the characters in the 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� movie series continue to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations, moviegoers turned out this past weekend to see their latest adventure, helping the new film 鈥淪tar Trek Beyond鈥� debut at No. 1 at the box office.聽
鈥淏eyond鈥� grossed more than $59 million at the domestic box office, while the animated hit 鈥淭he Secret Life of Pets鈥� came in second, bringing in more than $29 million. 鈥淧ets鈥� opened earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the new horror movie 鈥淟ights Out鈥� and the comedy 鈥淕hostbusters,鈥� which opened last week, reportedly tied for third place, both grossing $21.6 million.聽
The new animated film 鈥淚ce Age: Collision Course,鈥� the newest in the franchise, placed fourth, grossing $21 million, while the Pixar animated film 鈥淔inding Dory,鈥� which opened in June, came in fifth, taking in more than $7 million.
Industry observers note that 鈥淏eyond鈥� had a lower opening weekend than the original 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� starring actors such as Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana, which debuted in 2009, as well as the second movie in the current series, 2013鈥檚 鈥淪tar Trek Into Darkness.鈥� The opening weekend for "Star Trek Beyond" is still seen as a positive development, however.聽
"This is a solid enough debut to tell them there's still enough interest in 'Star Trek' to keep this franchise alive," Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker comScore, .
And most critics say the franchise is still doing very well creatively. 鈥淏eyond鈥� has received mostly positive reviews, with Monitor film critic Peter Rainer giving the movie a B+ (a better grade than 鈥淏eyond鈥� predecessor 鈥淒arkness鈥�).聽
"The consistently entertaining 鈥楽tar Trek Beyond鈥� 鈥� gives a good name to franchise fodder," Mr. Rainer writes. "Part of the reason for that is the way it works humor, often wry, into the slam-bang proceedings.... The actors work so well together that they reinforce the series鈥� central appeal: This crew is like family. A newcomer 鈥� Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) ... would be a welcome addition for future installments. And I do hope there will be many more future installments. I鈥檇 like to spend more time with these folks."
