X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class rebooted the mutant-superhero franchise by opening to $56 million, according to studio estimates. Whether that figure is a success or not depends on your point of view. Compared to the prior four X-Men movies, First Class attracted by far the least amount of moviegoers on opening weekend. It barely beat the original X-Men, which debuted to $54.5 million in 2000 (or $79.4 million in today’s dollars). And First Class fell far short of X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which grossed $85.6 million, $102.8 million, and $85.1 million their first weekends, respectively. Fox’s PG-13 action film also failed to match the $65.7 million debut set by fellow Marvel superhero Thor last month.

But Fox has been quick to compare First Class‘ numbers to those of Batman Begins, another superhero franchise reboot and origin story helmed by a rising director. (When Christopher Nolan made Batman Begins, he was best known for the indie breakout Memento and the thriller remake Insomnia; likewise, First Class director Matthew Vaughn has made his mark with Layer Cake and Kick-Ass) In 2005, Batman Begins started out with an okay $48.7 million opening, wound up collecting $205.3 million, and set the stage for The Dark Knight‘s gangbusters performance. First Class earned solid reviews and is sporting a “B+” grade from CinemaScore audiences, so Fox is hoping the $160 million picture holds up well these next few weeks and paves the way for a more lucrative sequel.

Meanwhile, Sony reports it has grossed $679.1 million through May, up more than 100% from 2010. May for Sony yielded $50.4 million in overseas box office, up 28% from May 2010. World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles (cume $118.9 million) and the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It ($111.7 million) were key drivers of Sony’s five-month action.

Universal is also having a solid year so far thanks largely to heavy Fast Five action. January-through-May foreign b.o. figure is $632.8 million, up seven percent from last year with the May-only figure ($311.5 million) increasing 66% from 2010. (Paramount and Warner Bros. have yet to report year-to-date figures.)

Fox’s animation outing Rio bagged $2.8 million on the weekend from 2,508 venues in 25 territories for a foreign cume of $326.5 million. Paramount’s Thor, director Kenneth Branagh’s screen treatment of the mythic comic book character, has generated total foreign box office of $258 million thanks to a $1.6 million weekend at 2,990 locations in 60 markets.

In France, Mars Distribution’s release of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris dropped to the market’s No. 5 spot, grossing an estimated $1.2 million from 450 screens, a dip of 13% from the prior weekend. Market cume stands at 10.2 million.

Also in France, Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s Cannes Festival prizewinner, dropped to No. 7 with an estimated $1 million drawn from 350 sites. The EuropaCorp Distribution release has registered a market total of $4.4 million thus far. Top local language newcomer in France was Pathe’s No. 4-ranked Monsieur Papa, a comedy-drama directed by and costarring Kad Merad, which opened at 350 sites for an estimated $1.4 million.

Other international cumes: Fox’s Black Swan, $$214.1 million; Sony and other distributors' Hanna, $13.6 million; Fox’s Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, $46 million; Universal’s Paul, $53.8 million; Fox’s Water For Elephants, $53.6 million; UGC Distribution’s The Rabbi’s Cat, $1.1 million in France opener at 225 locations; Sony’s Priest, $42.2 million; Universal’s The Adjustment Bureau, $58.4 million; Gaumont’s La conquete (The Conquest), $4.6 million in France only; and Universal’s Senna, $3.5 million from three markets including a U.K. and Ireland debut for the racing car driver docu generating $500,000 from 67 screens).