LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's lucrative summer box office season got off to an early start over the weekend as the comic book adventure film "X2: X-Men United" stormed cinemas worldwide in the biggest launch in movie history.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the massively hyped sequel sold $85.9 million worth of tickets in its first three days of release across the United States and Canada. It also earned $69.3 million from 93 countries, taking its total to $155.2 million -- more than half of what the first movie, 2000's "X-Men," made in its entire run.
"X-Men" opened with $54.5 million in North America and went on to earn $157.3 million domestically and $294 million worldwide.