Dark Phoenix is finally making her way to the multiplex.
The long delayed X-Men project is tracking for an opening weekend in the $50 million range, according to those with access to early box office surveys.
The big-budget superhero movie is tracking lower than other recent entries in the X-Men universe. Opening over Memorial Day weekend in 2014, X-Men: Days of Future Past had a massive $90.8 million bow, with a total holiday weekend box office of $110.5 million (unadjusted for inflation). Also opening over Memorial Day, 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse earned $65.7 in its first three-day weekend in theaters and a total of $79.8 million for the long weekend.
Longtime X-Men writer and producer Simon Kinberg makes his directorial debut with the franchise installment that sees Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) turn into her evolved form, with newfound powers that tear the team apart. Dark Phoenix will see the return of team members like Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Professor X (James McAvoy) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence).
The superhero feature was originally slated for a Nov. 2018 bow before undergoing reshoots and being shifted initially to Feb. 14, 2019 before finally moving to June 7.
Dark Phoenix is opening without the benefit of a holiday weekend release and early estimates are likely to increase as Fox/Disney makes a final marketing push. But, according to current estimates, the movie is tracking to have one of the lowest debuts for a X-Men film, with 2013’s Wolverine currently coming in at the lowest with a $53.1 opening weekend.
