‘Interstellar’ soars at box office with early release

Christopher Nolan’s space epic “Interstellar” had a promising launch at the box office with early showings.

The film, which goes up against Disney’s animated film “Big Hero 6” this weekend, pulled in $1.35 million in its early limited release, according to estimates.

Tracking suggests “Big Hero 6” could open to up to $60 million, putting it slightly ahead of the roughly $55 million forecast for “Interstellar,” according to people who have seen pre-release audience surveys.

If both films debut to more than $50 million apiece in the same weekend, it would be the fourth time in box office history such a feat has been accomplished.

Co-financed by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., “Interstellar” cost about $165 million to make.

Paramount began releasing “Interstellar” in select theaters Tuesday night. Advance showings of the space drama will play on 240 film-only screens — including 70-mm Imax, 70-mm and 35-mm — in 77 markets across the U.S. and Canada before expanding to more theaters.

Nolan’s almost three-hour film follows Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), an engineer and pilot who has been called on to find a hospitable new planet because Earth is turning into a giant dust bowl.

According to Fandango, the nation’s largest online ticket company, “Interstellar” is outselling Nolan’s 2010 thriller “Inception” and last year’s space drama “Gravity.”

In October 2013, Alfonso Cuarón’s 3-D space drama “Gravity” opened with a robust $55.6 million.

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