Box Office: ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Bows to Strong $8.1 Mil in Late Night Thursday Opening

The superhero sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past pulled in a strong $8.1 million in box office sales Thursday night at 10 pm in 2,900 North American theaters. It marks the highest late night debut in the series’ 14-year history.

The seventh film in 20th Century Fox’s mutant franchise ranks the fourth-biggest Thursday showing of 2014, below the $10.5 million for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the $9.3 million for Godzilla, and the $8.7 million for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, X-Men: Days of Future Past is expected to debut with $100 million this Memorial Day weekend, with some estimates as high as $125 million. If those numbers are met, it would make the sequel the biggest film of the year so far, surpassing Captain America: The Winter Soldier (which opened with $95 million) and being the most successful X-Men film yet.

Reviews are currently going strong, holding a 93% as of now on the “fresh” tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

The X-Men film includes stars Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen.

Bryan Singer, who directed the first two X-Men films, came back to direct the latest sequel. However, he withdrew from promoting Days of Future Past after a sex abuse lawsuit was filed against him.

X-Men: Days of Future Past opens internationally this weekend.