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Reagen Sulewski: Saying that this is a "good enough" result is buying into studio spin. Unless word-of-mouth gives it a dramatic turnaround, this is a film that will struggle to break $150 million domestically. And while international box office should be good and will in large part tell the story of whether it's a profitable film or not, there really shouldn't be a question about it at this point. Forget what's come before: when you're putting up $200 million in a budget for a film, you should not be walking back expectations the day before its opening weekend. Ten years later, they're essentially starting over with the franchise. By all accounts they've made a very good film (and I suspect the Batman comparison is very relevant), but it just goes to show how much damage a mismanaged franchise can cause. It also shows what the cost of junking basically every character in a film does - for the casual fan, after being asked to connect with a group of actors over four films, even if two of them were bad, it doesn't come easy to embrace new ones.

You know who's sweating bullets right now? Sony and everyone on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man. Studios are going to continue to try reboots as long as there's value in their properties, but there are no free lunches out there.

Shalimar Sahota: This comes across as okay to me. The Batman Begins comparison is a good one. After audiences had to contend with two mediocre to average films, it's a bit hard for them to want to give First Class a chance. I'll admit that I actually had no intention of viewing the film myself, but it was the reviews that lured me in, so hopefully others will be pulled in by the word-of-mouth. As we've already seen with Thor, I also feel that the increased involvement of Marvel (Marvel Studios) has had an effect in the good reviews due to their determination in wanting to put a quality product out there.

Kim Hollis: I think "just okay" is exactly the right answer, Shalimar. Although I do think Fox should be encouraged by the positive reviews and word-of-mouth First Class is receiving, this franchise has been hugely damaged by the poor quality of Last Stand and Wolverine. The difference between this and the Batman franchise is that people had eight years to miss Batman and let the negative stigma left by Batman and Robin fade into the distance. It's only been two years since Wolverine, so while I'm sure there will be some people who go to see the new X-Men who might not have before the good reviews (and I'm one of them), it's not going to be the same level as Batman Begins.

Edwin Davies: I can't help but feel underwhelmed by this result, and I'd be surprised if the studio were truly happy with what the film has done so far. I personally find the Batman Begins comparison a little hollow since X-Men: First Class does not look or feel like the startling break from what went before that Begins did. Aside from the way in which the advertising used scenes from the previous films, thereby creating some confusion as to whether it was a reboot or a prequel, it has pretty much the same tone and style as those that preceded it. I don't think the casual audience that made the first four films hits (to one degree or another) were sold on the idea that this was a brand new vision of the franchise, but left with the impression that it was just a continuation. Hopefully the reviews will bolster its chances, because it is the best entry since X2, but I can't help but think that the marketing failed to let people know just what kind of film they were getting.

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