‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Opens Strong Overseas

Star Trek Into Darkness earned a tidy sum of money overseas this weekend.

J.J. Abrams’ highly-anticipated sequel earned around $31.7 million from seven different countries over the past three days. Moviegoers in Austria, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Germany, and the UK got an opportunity to see the flick a week ahead of its release in the US, Canada, and China.

Although the franchise has a built-in fanbase, Paramount’s Anthony Marcoly told The Wrap that the studio made a decision to separate the sequel from previous Star Trek movies. He believes this may have played a role in the follow-up generating around 70 percent more business than its predecessor.

“I guess less Trekkie, more action might be the short story. But since I arrived here 18 months ago, a primary part of my mission has been to make sure this movie succeeds at the overseas box office the way it will domestically, and our team has done a great deal to make sure that happens,” Marcoly explained.

He added, “Basically, it was more action, more of the adventure elements and less of the real Trekkie stuff.”

While that’s probably not the sort of thing long-time Star Trek fans want to hear, this ultimately makes the film a bit more accessible to those who generally aren’t into science fiction movies.

Star Trek Into Darkness may have already generated millions of dollars overseas, but it remains to be seen if the film will have the same effect on the North American box office. Given the amount of the buzz the flick is receiving, chances are it could trump both The Great Gatsby and Iron Man 3 when it opens next weekend.

Shane Black’s third installment of the Iron Man franchise proved to be very popular with moviegoers in the US over the weekend. The movie made an additional $72.4 million, bringing its domestic total to approximately $284 million.

Are you planning to catch Star Trek Into Darkness in theaters next weekend?