X-MEN FIRST CLASS TOPS BOX OFFICE THIS WEEKEND WITH $56 MILLION!

'X' marked the spot at the multiplex this weekend.

"X-Men: First Class," raked in a healthy $56 million -- and another $64 million internationally -- to take the top spot at the box office.

Fox pinned its hopes on director Matthew Vaughn's prequel, starring Michael Fassbender, January Jones and James McAvoy, to reinvergerate - and reboot - the franchise about mutant super heroes battling in a world that fears them.

"I hate to put it like this, but 'X-Men' successfully excelled at launching a new chapter in the franchise," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution at Twentieth Century Fox.

The haul was painted by some industry experts as a disappointment considering the $102.7 million opening weekend for 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand."

Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com, disagreed.

"Any franchise that's a decade old and still topping the charts, that's pretty much a winner for me," he said.

Aronson said the goal had been to reach numbers comperable to 2000's first "X-Men" movie and 2005's "Batman Begins."

"We exceeded both of those. I see this as nothing but a huge success," says Aronson.

"The Hangover Part II," dropped into second place with $32.4 million. Though the Warner Brothers' R-rated comedy pushed its domestic haul to $186.9 million in just ten days, it suffered a hangover of it's own - dropping 62% in its second week.

Dreamworks' "Kung Fu Panda" finished third with $24.3 million, while Disney's "Pirates of the Caribean: On Stranger Tides," dipped to fourth place with $18 million.

Universal's surprise summer hit, "Bridesmaids," continued to enjoy its honeymoon at the box office finishing fifth with $12.1 million in its third week to cross the $100 million mark.



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