“Star Trek Into Darkness” got off to a somewhat slow start at the box office, but will no doubt make up for it over the weekend.
The J.J. Abrams-directed reboot sequel earned $3.3 million on Wednesday night, including both 8 p.m. IMAX screenings and regular midnight engagements.
The IMAX screenings in many cities sold out in advance.
However, the lower-than-expected numbers may have been hampered by confusion over the film’s opening date, as it was just recently pushed forward one day from Thursday night to Wednesday night.
“Darkness” is expected to debut to around $100 million for the weekend, which will put it well ahead of 2009’s “Star Trek,” which bowed to $75 million.
The film opened in several foreign markets last weekend, and has so far picked up $40 million, again ahead of the 2009 film.
“Star Trek Into Darkness” features returning stars Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Zachary Quinto and Bruce Greenwood, plus newbies Alice Eve, and Benedict Cumberbatch as the film’s enigmatic villain.