Star Trek garnered an "A" average in audience exit polling and slightly increased its box-office performance from Friday to Saturday, a relative rarity for action movies that usually signals good buzz.
A strong run for "Star Trek" will depend on expanding its audience, which was 60% male and 65% older than 25. .
"We knew going in our core audience was men between 30 and 49, and we decided to embrace that group first," Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore said.
The executive, who oversees distribution and marketing for the studio, said he expected many adults would return with older children to the PG-13 film. But he's also planning to re-orient some marketing to go after a heavy moviegoing group that was initially skeptical of the 43-year-old franchise.
"With the word of mouth, teenagers and people in their 20s will be much more receptive to our message, and we're really going to be reaching out," he said.
If "Star Trek" manages to drop no more than about 50% next weekend against "Angels & Demons," which is tracking best with women over age 25, it could be on its way to a $200-million-plus domestic box office. That would boost the chances of Paramount going ahead with the sequel it already has in development but hasn't yet greenlighted.
"Now we can say from a commercial and audience-reaction standpoint that there's no question it would be an exciting opportunity," Moore said of sequel prospects.
