New Movies May 23-25: 'Godzilla' vs. 'X-Men'

This weekend marks the end of May and the real beginning of summer, as the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the warm-weather season. The box office has had a summery feeling for the past few weeks, with big-budget spectacles hitting screens one after the other. This weekend, the trend continues with “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

If all goes according to plan, “X-Men” could be the first movie of the year to bring in over $100 million in its opening weekend. So far in 2014, the most successful action flicks have come close to the mark but haven’t cracked it. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” took in $95 million, “Godzilla” drew $93 million, and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” managed just $91 million. With help from the holiday, “X-Men” is expected to secure at least $95 million, and it’s likely to go well above the $100-million line.

The big question is what the debut of “X-Men” will do to the fortunes of the big holdover movies. “Spider-Man 2” had already faded considerably by the time that “Godzilla” debuted last week, and now the web slinger is struggling to reach a $200 million gross. The same might happen to “Godzilla” when it meets competition from this new blockbuster wannabe.

This week’s only other new wide release is “Blended,” a comedy starring Adam Sandler. This one tries to recapture the chemistry between Sandler and his “Wedding Singer” co-star, Drew Barrymore, but there’s little chance that it will be a break-out hit, especially since it’s only getting a 12% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.