Terminator Salvation set for box-office killing

Midnight showings of McG's Terminator Salvation are estimated to have taken a stunning $3 million, with the movie set to open at an initial 3,450 screens before adding more at the weekend.

The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Salvation is likely to do in excess of $70 million in its first 5 days. How much of that takes place at the weekend could be crucial to its PR profile, however.

Early critical reaction to the movie has not been unstintingly favourable, suggesting that the vital word-of-mouth factor which has proved such a boon to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek may be a bit diminished in the case of Salvation.

The College Times described T4 as "definitely big and spectacular as an action sci-fi movie, yet [lacking] the punch and complete terror that came with the first two entries" whilst the Hollywood Reporter said "there’s little sign of life where the flatly executed human component is concerned".