'Indiana Jones' earns $56 million in first 2 days

[Woodmonkey]

'Indiana Jones' earns $56 million in first 2 days

He may be older, but Indiana Jones is still finding box office treasure. Paramount's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the fourth film in the action-adventure series starring Harrison Ford, earned $56 million in its first two days, Media By Numbers president Paul Dergarabedian said.

After earning $25 million in its Thursday debut, the Steven Spielberg-directed movie brought in another $31 million Friday.

"These are very solid numbers, no question about it. The fact that earnings went up on the second day is a good sign," Dergarabedian said. "Whether it's on pace to beat "Pirates'" numbers from last Memorial Day remains to be seen."

Last year, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" set the record for a Memorial Day weekend opening, earning $153 million including Thursday night preview grosses.

"Indiana Jones" will need a strong weekend finish to top the year's biggest hit so far, "Iron Man," which pulled in $98.6 million domestically in its first weekend.

The film opened early Thursday in 4,260 theaters, according to Media By Numbers.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the first film in 19 years about the archaeologist-adventurer, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this month to tepid reviews.

The source