Chris Luckett

Two tentpole sequels are going head-to-head this weekend and neither is getting very good reviews. For X-Men: Apocalypse, at least, the reviews didn’t seem to slow them down.

X-Men: Apocalypse grossed $8.2 million from Thursday evening previews, slightly ahead of X-Men: Days of Future Past‘s $8.1 million.

Alice Through the Looking Glass, meanwhile, pulled in only $1.5 million.

X-Men: Apocalypse was already expected to win the weekend, particularly after the strong opening performances of Deadpool, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War.

Some wondered if tepid reviews — Apocalypse currently sits at 52% on Metacritic —  or superhero fatigue would affect the picture, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Alice, however, has an abundance of issues going against its chances of a gross close to its predecessor, first and foremost being Amber Heard’s recent divorce from Johnny Depp and restraining order against him.

Alice in Wonderland also came out in a climate full of a post-Avatar fascination with 3D and a love of Depp that hadn’t yet been overly tarnished. (Alice Through the Looking Glass‘ 33% on Metacritic doesn’t help, either.)

Based on Thursday’s numbers, X-Men: Apocalypse is projected to earn $80-$90 million over the three-day weekend, putting it roughly at pace with Days of Future Past. Alice Through the Looking Glass is looking to pull $35-40 million —  a far cry from the original’s $116 million opening in 2010.

(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)