Two months into its release and there is still stuff to report about the new Star Trek movie. We have the latest box office results and what may be the end to its top 10 run, Plus more Khan debate online, more Star Wars/Star Trek, and a few other ST09 tidbits.
Star Trek’s last day in top 10?
Tuesday was Star Trek’s 54th day in release and it ranked 9th, with $526K in domestic sales (only a 2.2% drop from last week). Although a strong Saturday put Star Trek into 8th place last weekend, the film has been in 9th place for four out of the last five days since the latest new films opened last Friday.
| Film | 30-Jun | Total Dom / days | |
| 1 | TRANSFORMERS 2 | $13,510,024 | $228,441,219 / 7 |
| 2 | THE PROPOSAL | $ 3,287,320 | $75,205,432 / 12 |
| 3 | THE HANGOVER | $2,749,356 | $188,381,740 / 26 |
| 4 | UP | $2,571,769 | $254,967,154 / 33 |
| 5 | MY SISTER’S KEEPER | $2,270,492 | $16,748,850 / 5 |
| 6 | YEAR ONE | $1,082,850 | $34,645,192 / 12 |
| 7 | THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 | $828,005 | $54,970,829 / 19 |
| 8 | NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 | $754,033 | $164,739,568 / 40 |
| 9 | STAR TREK | $526,347 | $247,306,259 / 54 |
| 10 | AWAY WE GO | $235,990 | $4,534,622 / 26 |
Today two more films opened, kicking off the 4th of July weekend. So there is a good chance that yesterday was Star Trek’s last day in the top 10. Regardless, Star Trek is on track to top $250M domestically this weekend.
Star Trek remains the #2 ranked movie for 2009 domestically, but Transformers 2 will push it to #3 within a couple of days. Overseas Star Trek has racked up $124,738,794, which ranks it as the #8 film for 2009 for overseas sales. Although behind almost all of the other summer movies, Variety reports today that Paramount is still OK with the international sales:
because [Star Trek] has never been a big draw overseas, so Par says it was happy with the foreign numbers.
Star Trek now has a global total gross of $372,045,053.
The Great Khan Debate
One of the hottest topics here at TrekMovie in the last few weeks has been about the Star Trek sequel, and whether or not it should include Khan. This debate is playing itself out across the geekosphere as fans debate the future of Khan or no Khan. A couple of recent examples
DenOfGeek notes 10 things they want in the Star Trek sequel and coming in at number five was…
5. Khan Noonien Singh
The genetically-engineered warrior from the Eugenics Wars is probably Kirk’s greatest nemesis, when he defrosts this sociopath when he encounters his ship, Botany Bay. Sadly, Ricardo Montalban is no longer with us, so who would play this charming monster? That’s a difficult one, although Antonio Banderas does spring to mind for some curious reason.
…but io9 argues against putting Khan in to the Star Trek sequel, listing a number of reasons, including:
Say goodbye to the freshness.
Abrams’ Star Trek reboot threw armfuls of candy at the fans, to distract them from the fact that this was a whole new Star Trek. You had the Kobayashi Maru, the classic lines like "I am, and always will be your friend" and "I’m giving her all she’s got," the Orion woman, Pike in a wheelchair, and so on. The constant hand-holding got a little annoying, because I’d rather see a movie that’s concerned with telling a story than with placating a minority of OCD fans. But it was okay, because behind all of this clutter, there was a fresh story.Even though Nero was a weak villain, he was at least something new, and he had a few really great moments. But it’s hard to imagine a storyline starring Khan that wouldn’t feel a bit warmed-over. It would be the opposite of the first movie: a few fresh ideas, wrapped around a core of fan-pleasing deja vu. Pass.
I have been talking about this topic with others at TrekMovie.com HQ, and will put up my thoughts on the Khan debate this weekend.
More Star Trek & Star Wars
The Star Trek/Star Wars bits keep coming. Firstly here is an image from the Philadelphia Inquirer taken at Star Trek: The Exhibition at the Franklin Institute, when members of the local 501st legion of Star Wars fans dropped by.
Mr. Fett, I find your inability of fire phasers properly disturbing
And the folks at College Humor have another animation looking at Star Trek confusion with Star Wars (and a few other genre faves).
Finally, The American Melodrama theater group have a new parody play called "Space Trek", to be performed this Summer in Long Beach. The play is an apparently humorous amalgam of Star Trek and Star Wars, here is the trailer.
More ST09 and Star Trek Bits
- Leonard Nimoy is being bestowed with the ‘Leonard Nimoy Angel Award’ by Company of Angels theater company for his contributions to theater in Los Angeles
- Wired’s GeekDad takes up the Kirk v Picard debate
- Movieweb and Deadbolt have interviews with Clifton Collins (Ayel), the latter confirming he will not be in Thor)
- Music Industry NewsWire has an article about about the ‘Mouse Microphone‘ from Blue Mic featured in the Star Trek movie.
Get a Mouse Mic and make your own Starfleet Academy scene
Love that shot of Pine in the red cadet uniform, c’mon break 400mil
I think Trek could stay in the top 10 a bit longer IF it weren’t losing so many screens for other films. My town lost it 2 weeks ago, and a nearby large city only has 1 theatre showing it as of tomorrow.
I don’t think it is slowing down so much for lack of interest, just lack of opportunity. Oh well, it has been a great run! Hope the lucky folk who still have opportunity will get a chance to see it again on the big screen…..nothing comes close this year!!
Khan would be great,,, but lets not forget about “Kodos the Executioner ”
hes still around too
:oD
what the hell, that cartoon was so damn retarded
From the Variety article:
“Film was a hit across the rest of the globe, earning $13 million in Australia, 80% ahead of the first pic’s debut. Russian launch of $11.8 million came in 69% higher than the original.
“Transformers” sequel opened a week early in the U.K. and Japan to $24.1 million. This past weekend, it held at No. 1 in the U.K. at $10.2 million for a 10-day cume of $27 million.”
This is journalism? Don’t the proof readers require definite articles? What a piece of crap. I hope Pamela McClintlock didn’t get paid for texting her article in from her bathroom.
Something new, something original PLEASE. I beg the
creators to beam this crew to a strange new world to
seek out a new life and a new civilization & to boldly
go where they have not gone before.
Too many screens are being given to that atrocity Transformers. I expect a HUGE dropoff week to week for Transformers.
I would like to see a August reshowing of Star Trek in IMAX like they did with Dark Knight. That would help seal 400 million
If they do have Khan, I really hope Antonio Banderas doesn’t play him.
When they mention Antonio Banderas as Khan, I prefer a exploration film where the Klingons are always lurking like Vultures, waiting for the perfect time to attack.
Just don’t give us 2 trash talking aliens who can’t read and have gold teeth.
Whoever wrote the “so long freshness” essay is being incredibly silly. You could apply her or his argument to the characters of Kirk, Spock, the whole crew, the Enterprise as well. The selectivity in picking Pike and the Kobayashi Maru is entirely arbitrary.
NEWS FLASH: IT’S STILL STAR TREK. Get a grip on logic, buddy.
Anyway, if a great story can be written with Khan, I think we would all love to see it. I can imagine all kinds of terrific scenarios. He’s a formidable adversary for the crew of the starship Enterprise — that’s what is so appealing. The possibilities are endless.
That being said, it’d be awesome to develop some new storylines as well — namely ones that deal with the actual mission of the Enterprise.
An Editorial on the question of Khan?
WTF?!?
Yah in our area, tacoma wa,bout 1 hour south of seattle quite a few trek screens will be gone by friday-all except 1 showing once a day at 1220pm only and about 2 more theatres in outlying areas 25 min or so away–so its goodbye trek i bet if it wasnt being crowded out it would keep making good money-i will see it with friends 1 more time on sunday to say goodbye to a great run-that will be 7 times for me.
I saw “Up” today. Great flick!!! I noticed that “Star Trek” is no longer playing at that theater.
I just checked out our other major movie house in town…. and it’s gone from there too.. so I’ll have to wait till it comes to the $1.00 theatre… or wait for the DVD.
#11 – lmao
Antonio Banderas??!! If anyone should play the part it’s Javier Bardem from “no country for old men”
FRAK!
You know when you talk about something so much, you have to do it? You have to do Khan now!!!!
While I’m still on the fence about it, I think I’d like to see Khan, but maybe keep that for the third movie, or hopefully fourth.
Something original would be nice, no time travel, no threat against Earth, and no planet killer (only because it would retread this recent movie).
WE DO NEED:
Carol Marcus and David
Nurse Chapel (Good Love Triangle)
Yeoman Rand
Andorians
Tellerites
Maybe:
Dimora Sulu
Savvik
Kor, Koloth, or Kang
Number One
Harry Mudd
Gary Mitchell
Garth of Izar
Cardassians
#10: Honestly, I don’t think I would want to see it. I would anyways, because I’m a Trekkie with an open mind, but, no… I think Khan would be a fatal mistake, for ST:Something Something, even with the great talent of Orci and Kurtzman and Lindelof.
IMHO.
Im beginning to think Star Trek has become a broken record when all fans want to see are things that have been done over and over and over again. Why can’t we have something fresh for once? I mean is it so hard to come up with something new AND interesting to watch?
nice Lucas slam
For cripes sakes, why don’t you mention that the overwhelming repsonse on this site had been against bringing Kahn into a new movie???
The sequel needs a Simon Van Gelder. My name is…AAAAARGHHHH!!!!
Please no Khan… let’s stop “rehashing” and break some new ground. That’s this franchise is supposed to be about. Let’s stop living in our parents basements and the 1980s. Bold, fresh, new…
Why would Khan need to be portrayed by another Hispanic actor (Banderas or Bardem, succeeding Montalban). Can’t Hollywood find a decent South Asian actor to play “Khan Noonian Singh”?
No Khan in Trek XII.
I know… Mr. Abrams, Mr. Orci, and Mr. Kurtzman are going to be awfully tempted to follow in the footsteps of “Batman Begins” by using their best known villain in the second movie (Khan for The Joker), and Paramount almost certainly will be pushing them to do so, but to the Supreme Court I plead: Be strong… don’t do it. Maybe, just maybe you’d hit the bullseye like “Dark Knight”, but the odds are heavily against you. “Dark Knight” was an enormously dark and intense film, with a once-in-a-lifetime (and very possibly fatal) performance by Heath Ledger. How could Trek XII possibly replicate that? So don’t try. Write your own story, get this new Trek universe firmly established with a second and maybe even a third movie before you try to go where Nicholas Meyer has gone before.
To the Editor:
“Mr. Fett, I find your inability of fire phasers properly disturbing”
WTF is that? Is this site edited by a pack of mentally retarded monkeys who can’t spell or form proper grammar that actually makes sense? It’s practically every day that spelling and grammar mistakes are made. As anal as I am about publishing things to the internet, I’m surprised you get by with it so often here.
Anyway, go Star Trek!
Funny that no one’s brought this up, but wasn’t Monatalban supposed to be playing a person of Indian descent and not Hispanic? Isn’t that Khan’s heritage? Funny that people keep throwing Hispanic actors names around. But if that’s the route we’re going then sure let’s get Javier Bardem.
But then again….as I’ve said….we’ve gone out of way not to have to mess with the sticky continuity that made everything possible – this site, the franchise…everything. They’ve changed everything so they don’t have to mess with that established world. So why even go with that story? Both things…now that we’re setting everything right and new and shiny….don’t make sense to me.
I don’t want them to retread these stories. I want to see what was always inferred and what could have been. Alas, I feel that’s too late now.
Macbeth + Ming the Merciless = Kodos the Executioner
Actually, Khan was a Sikh.
At day 54, despite being a higher initial grosser, Iron Man had approximately the same numbers and percentage fall-off every week as Trek, which earned almost $10M last week to push them past $370M WW. However, if it continues to follow the same pattern as Iron Man, it will drop off by approximately 30% every successive week (it has been dropping faster than that). This means, Trek should earn another $6.3M WW by Sunday, perhaps a little more given it’s the 4th of July. But if the downward trend continues to match Iron Man, it won’t cross $380M for another coupe of weeks.
Iron Man closed after 154 days at the box office, so if Trek makes it that far it will close with an approximate additional $21M and a total box office of around $392M. However, since Trek opened later in some major foreign markets, it may still earn a bit more overseas than Iron Man at this point to push ST09 over the $400M mark. Or Trek may buck the trends, especially if the Transformer fans are looking for something good to wash the bad taste out of their mouths.
I hope ST09 can cross the $400M mark as I would prefer to be able to definitively say it is the highest grossing film in the franchise, rather than float in some nebulous competition with the same general numbers as TMP, due to lack of empirical data from 1979. The question of most tickets sold may never be adequately answered, but but that’s relatively academic for a business that values box office over all else. Either way, ST09 is unlikely to equal TMP’s ROI.
ST09 may drop out of the Top 10, but I think it will be back as some of the also-rans fade.
Khan as the villain in the SECOND “reboot” Trek. Come on… That’s not going to happen. JJ and Co. would have to be out of their collective mind to be that unoriginal. And I know they are a creative bunch; too creative to put Khan in their second Trek movie.
#18 “all fans want to see are things that have been done over and over and over again.”
The fans have made it perfectly clear – repeatedly – that they WANT NEW ADVENTURES. How many more times is this idiocy about Khan going to be repeated?
It’s been done. It’s been done well. Leave it alone, and try exercising your imaginations on something/someone else, writers, please! And for goodness’ sake, state categorically sometime soon that there will be NO KHAN in the next film. I’m sick and tired of this ridiculous idea rearing its head on here every five minutes!
Character wise, An attempt to get an Indian actor would be so much more logical.
The strength of the new Star Trek was that it primarily refreshed what had come before for the current era. Just like casting for this movie, they should cast the CHARACTERS and not the ACTORS.
A lot of fans like the proposal of Amitabh Bachchan as Khan or any reasonably talented Bollywood actor. Not only would Mr. Bachchan ensure the Star Trek sequel to explode financially internationally but people in non english speaking territories would recognize this ‘legendary’ bollywood actor in a commercial hollywood film. It means big bucks and hype outside our traditional fanbase while it serves the story pretty well if they choose the khan route. I believe he is set to appear in an English independent film with Johnny Depp called Shantaram.
Check Amitabh Bachan out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POtcSGa6gQ
sorta unrelated but anyone know where the giant canyon in the middle of Iowa came from in the beginning of the movie came from…
but overall AWESOME movie
25- Funny that no one’s brought this up, but wasn’t Monatalban supposed to be playing a person of Indian descent and not Hispanic? Isn’t that Khan’s heritage? Funny that people keep throwing Hispanic actors names around.
I’m a person of Indian descent and hope cultural accuracy wouldn’t limit casting choices. Maybe it’s the bad taste in my mouth from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I don’t know. Bardem’s great but I don’t think the part is meaty enough for him. Unfortunately it’s too early to have Faran Tahir recast in a Trek film. That doesn’t leave alot of good contenders. The only bankable Indian-American actor would look too wierd in scenes with Sulu (unless there’s pot in the scene). Indian art films don’t currently have muscular types. The mainstream actors in India are held to a different standard (only need a few broadcasted emotions).
I’m also surprised with people’s lack of imagination when it comes to Khan… there’s so much you can do with him IF THE STORY IS DIFFERENT.
It seems not many people can think outside the parameters of Wrath of Khan and Space Seed. I, like mostly everyone, would like to see a new fresh story. Revamping a classic character in no way inhibits that.
There are a TON of things I would love to see with Khan.
Just to throw something out there:
You could make him an anti-hero, the unstoppable complex villain who ends up having to team up on the side of the heroes and becomes an even-more-bad-ass-than-kirk type character. A juvenile example of this would be like how there was the green ranger character on the original power rangers and he defeated all the power rangers and later teamed up with them and became one of the most popular characters ever on that show. Just some little things that wowed me as a child that could just as well apply to Star Trek.
Also a fist fight between Amitabh Bachchan and Chris Pine would rule all.
33- Faran Tahir did a phenomenal job playing a Cuban Starfleet Captain of Catalan descent, absolutely…
17- I know where you’re coming from. Although I was immensely excited at seeing a new Star Trek movie, I wasn’t sure recasting the roles of Kirk and Spock would be very wise. But Star Trek is a really flexible domain and the storytelling possibilities with Khan are immense. I am really surprised by all the commenters on here just bashing it as a lack of creativity. You really could say the same thing about a Star Trek movie that goes back to the original series, but it has played out beautifully.
All I am really saying is we should be open to all possibilities. It doesn’t seem like there are many that ought to be foreclosed. If they could find an outstanding way of dealing with Khan, the way they did with the Joker in Dark Knight, then they should be remiss to not do it. Like it or not, Khan is almost as close to our collective consciousness as any of the original crew — and in some cases, maybe more.
If I had two wishes that I could give to the writers though it would be have Dr. Carol Marcus and a movie that at least has some element of exploration or first contact. Just out of my own personal preferences. Khan could even be saved for a fourth or fifth movie. ( How hard is reuniting this crew going to be? )
The basic problem with Khan is that he was supposedly the product of World War 3 from the 1990’s. That didn’t happen so they would have to rewrite all of Khan’s backstory and let’s face it, I don’t think these guys are up for that task. Better let Khan die with dignaty.
I’d rather see them do another cheap Khan knockoff than sully Khan himself.
But I’d RATHER rather see them go beyond the scenery-chewing-villain model and experiment with something more.
make the origin of borg pls. Borg is a villian that better than khan
io9 makes an interesting point in that blog. Khan should stay out of Star Trek for good. No one can make up for what Ricardo Montalban did in that role. NO KHAN! Nooooooooooooooooooooo Kkkkhhhhhaaaan!
Personally, here’s my top five list of what I would like to see in Star Trek XII:
1. Klingons. We haven’t seen them for four films (even though this film, had it stayed in its original version, we would have seen them). Klingons need to come back after a four-film absence. But do NOT do a remake of “Errand of Mercy.”
2. Mudd. Harry Mudd. Mudd is one of those villains that was underused in the Original Series. He only appeared three times, in “Mudd’s Women,” “I, Mudd,” and the Animated episode “Mudd’s Passion.” The character was slated to appear on TNG, but that changed when Carmel died in 1987. Mudd should be back, and have Tom Hanks play the role of the conman. Maybe that could ensure dominance in both domestic and international sales of the sequel, since Angels and Demons dominated Star Trek internationally during Trek’s first few weeks after A&D was release.
3. Maybe have a story that explores the characters, and makes commentary on the 21st century. Star Trek, especially the original, made numerous episodes commenting on current issues in the world, eg “A Private Little War” dealt with the Vietnam War (which was very much in progress when the episode was made and aired). It should be about the characters, exploring them and making commentary on current issues of the day.
4. The Mirror Universe. Since this is now a new timeline, the Mirror Universe should also exist, one Mirror Universe co-existing with the new timeline established in this film. It would be cool to see a mirror version of Pine’s Kirk or Quinto’s Spock. To hell with Bob Orci’s theory of parallel dimensions, a silver-screen treatment of the Terran Empire would be awesome.
5. A totally new alien race. This is a new timeline, and it’s time for new alien threats to the Federation or the Enterprise or both. A new alien race could be something this 43-year-old franchise needs. It would be totally unique to the new continuity, so it would make the second one stand all on its own.
That’s what I have to say. Again, a message to Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman: No Khan! No Khan!
Saw the College Humor vid yesterday.
Soooooooo funny.
“You! Ewok! Fetch me Excalibur! The Nebakanezer will survive! And I will not rest until I have killed every last Terminator in Jurassic Park!”
I was ROFLMAOing for hours after that one.
If they borrow anything from TOS (the show, obviously, not the era), it should be a phenomenon, not a specific character — referencing the Eugenics war is okay, but not Khan specifically, or encountering the Tholians or the Talosians is okay. I am tempted to say the Doomsday machine and even the personality of Balok and the Fesarius from the Corbomite Manuever, but those two might give too much of a “warmed-over” feeling too.
I’d be beyond disappointed if they did either Khan or Mudd in the next movie. Seriously, though, it would be a great chance to make the Klingons the villains again, as long as they make it fresh.
I have to say I wondered about those mikes in that scene — “odd prop design choice, would 23rd cent. mikes be that huge, or necessary at all?” I asked myself (there’s time for these questions when you’e seen a movie 11 times). So interesting to find out that they’re real.
What about CAPTAIN GARTH, he would be a great villian in the Sequel!
Star Trek Confusion…GREAT STUFF!^^
NO KHAN
NO REMAKES
You cannot remake perfection
Get back to originals story telling, do something only Trek can do. Please do this.
Don’t make Trek XII dumbed down. Please.
I think a lot more fans will be lost if you just rehash the cllassics
Antonio Banderas!!!??? No, I think you mean André Bormanis…
16 Morn Speaks
WE DO NEED:
Carol Marcus and David
Nurse Chapel (Good Love Triangle)
Yeoman Rand
Andorians
Tellerites
Maybe:
Dimora Sulu
Savvik
Kor, Koloth, or Kang
Number One
Harry Mudd
Gary Mitchell
Garth of Izar
Cardassians
I’d agree with this list wholeheartedly. Garth would make a fine Khan-like villain without rehashing the Khan story. I wouldn’t mind seeing Khan in the future but it’s too soon. I want them to bed in the characters first.
Rand, Chapel, Mitchell, and Carol Marcus would be my preference for the next film. Rand and Carol should be given meatier roles even if the others are little more than cameos.
Mudd shouldn’t be used as a primary villain but I’m sure Ricky Gervais wont mind being type-cast yet again for a cameo akin to Stardust. Any of the Klingons could be involved with him – I wouldn’t mind seeing Kor buying Botany Bay and ‘cargo’ off Harry Mudd as the teaser at the very end of the next film!
I’d also be interested to see them get some mileage out of Decker and Ilia in a future film. Decker is actually the same age as the new Chekov so I wouldn’t want to see him any time soon but again these two characters had a lot of unrealised potential. In addition, while Saavik and Demora are obviously too young to appear any time soon, Saavik was a way underused character with a very interesting backstory. I hope they do an origin story for her too.
Thinking some more on this, a shape-changing Garth holding Carol, Sarek, T’Pau, T’Pring, and a few others hostage for some purpose that doesn’t involve red matter could have the makings of a good plot.
Bring back the Gorn!
Actually, done properly, these could be excellent villains…
Or the Breen…
And I do want to see some proper Klingons.
BUT NOT KHAN.
Do something fresh where only Trek can take us
Do not rehash the classics
No Khan!
I believe a lot more fans will be lost if this route was taken. God you critiicise when Enterprise rehashed TNG stories yet you are happy for these hack writers to rehash the true classics.
Am I missing something here?