"X-Men: First Class" opened at No. 1, though The Associated Press notes that the prequel did not take in as much money as the earlier releases in the franchise (when adjusted for inflation). Still, nearly earning $24 million more than your biggest competitor for the weekend is not too shabby.

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released today.
1. “X-Men: First Class,” $56 million. (Review by The AP's David Germain)
2. “The Hangover Part II,” $32.4 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros)
3. “Kung Fu Panda 2,” $24.3 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire)
4. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” $18 million. (Review by Meszoros)
5. “Bridesmaids,” $12.1 million. (Review by Christy Lemire)
6. “Thor,” $4.2 million. (Review by Mark Meszoros)
7. “Fast Five,” $3.2 million. (Review by Meszoros)
8. “Midnight in Paris,” $2.9 million.
9. “Jumping the Broom,” $865,000. (Review by Lemire)
10. “Something Borrowed,” $835,000.(Review by Lemire)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl