'Star Trek Beyond' May Be Headed for Big Opening

When Star Trek Beyond, the third film in producer J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise, debuts on July 22, its box-office gross will probably trail behind those of the first two films, but during a summer in which big films are struggling to attain blockbuster status, even a third-place finish is looking pretty good.

Projections for Beyond have it earning somewhere between $45 and $60 million in its first weekend. Even at the upper end of that range, the film would fall short of the $75 million earned by Abrams Star Trek in 2009 and the $72 million pulled in by Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013. Still, a $60-million opening would be extremely solid in today's climate, where sequel after sequel is failing to live up to the expectations set by its franchise.

Star Trek Beyond will get an early premiere at Comic-Con on July 20 in an attempt to generate a fan frenzy ahead of the film's wide release. It's also been in the news lately for a tragic reason - the accidental death of star Anton Yelchin. The actor, who played the role of Pavel Chekov in the franchise, died in car accident near his home on June 19 of this year.