‘Interstellar’ pulls in just under $50 million in domestic launch, soars overseas

“Interstellar” didn’t soar to its $52 million box office projection, according to final numbers released on Monday.

Christopher Nolan’s film pulled in about $49.7 million in its five-day domestic launch, falling short of Sunday’s $52.2 million studio estimate.

Fellow box office newcomer Disney’s “Big Hero 6” topped the weekend. The animated action comedy had a $56.21 million debut, on par with the studio’s Sunday’s projection.

Directed by Disney veterans Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”), the CG-animated film follows a rebellious robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) and a guileless healthcare robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit).

It earned an A grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore and 91% “fresh” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

“Interstellar” follows Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), an engineer and pilot who has been called upon to find a hospitable new planet because Earth is turning into a giant dust bowl. Co-financed by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the film cost about $165 million to make.

Paramount began releasing “Interstellar” in select theater early last week. Advance showings of the space drama played on 240 film-only screens — including 70mm Imax, 70mm and 35mm — in 77 markets across the U.S. and Canada before it expanded to more theaters.

Imax generated its largest percentage of box office ever for a first-run release; the film grossed $13.4 million on 368 Imax screens, a per-screen average of more than $36,000. The film was also Imax’s best opening for a November release. “Skyfall” held the previous record with $12.6 million.

Overseas, the space drama blasted off with $82.9 million, almost $3 million higher than Sunday’s projections.

It opened on 14,800 screens in 62 countries. Korea was the film’s top market, generating $14.4 million in ticket sales.

The film earned a B+ grade from CinemaScore and a 73% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nolan’s film will debut in China on Wednesday and in Japan on Nov. 22.

For more news on the entertainment industry, follow me @saba_h