Memorial Day weekend starts the summer movie blockbuster party. Several movies did extremely well and have the potential to beat movie ticket records.

The “X-Men” mutants overpowered the human competition at the U.S. Memorial Day holiday box office in North America, while “The Da Vinci Code” remained the top choice overseas, according to studio estimates issued on Monday.

“X-Men: The Last Stand,” the final film in the Marvel comic-book trilogy, earned $120.1 million for the four days beginning May 26, distributor 20th Century Fox said.

The tally exceeded the News Corp.-owned studio’s expectations and set a new record as the biggest Memorial Day holiday opener ever and the biggest debut so far this year. It had hoped the film’s 3-day haul would near the $86 million debut of its 2003 predecessor “X2: X-Men United.”

The three-day portion — from Friday to Sunday — of $103.1 million also ranks as the fourth-highest of all time. The 2002 film “Spider-Man,” another Marvel property, holds the record with $115 million.

“The Da Vinci Code” previously held the honors for the best opening of the year after launching last weekend to $77 million. Columbia Pictures’ hit Vatican thriller slipped to No. 2 with a four-day sum of $43 million and a total of $145.5 million. It remained the top film internationally, as weekend sales of $92 million pushed its total to $320 million.

“Over the Hedge” was No. 3 in North America with $35.3 million, also down one spot. The two-week total for the Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc.-produced cartoon rose to $84.4 million.

While the “X-Men” franchise is on fire, Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” series is on the ropes. “Mission: Impossible III” has grossed $115.8 million after four weekends. At the same stage in their cycles, 1996’s “Mission: Impossible” had earned about $145 million, and 2000’s “Mission: Impossible 2″ $177 million. For the current weekend, the new film earned $8.6 million, ranking at No. 4.
 Overall Memorial Day business was the second-highest on record, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The top 12 films earned $228.6 million over the four days, $10 million short of the 2004 record.

The Friday-to-Sunday haul for “X-Men: The Last Stand” was $103.1 million, revised down from the $107 million estimate released on Sunday.

In addition to taking over from “Da Vinci” as the highest opening so far this year, the new “X-Men” beats the 9-year-old Memorial Day weekend record held by “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” which opened to $72 million during its first three days. Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur picture earned an additional $18 million during the Monday holiday. “X-Men” was projected to earn $17 million on Monday, but the figures could change when final data are issued on Tuesday.

The new film, whose returning cast of mutants includes British actors Patrick Stewart as the heroic Professor X and Ian McKellen as the evil Magneto, was directed by Brett Ratner, best known for the “Rush Hour” films.

Fox licensed the comic book franchise from Marvel Entertainment Inc. It cost about $165 million to make, Fox said. Additionally, it opened in most foreign markets during the weekend and earned more than $80 million, the studio said.

While the film leaves the door open for a fourth installment, Marvel and Fox are focused on separate spin-offs involving Magneto and Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. Scripts for both projects are being written, said Avi Arad, chairman and chief executive of Marvel’s Marvel Studios unit.

With $145.5 million banked in North America so far, “The Da Vinci Code” should end up in the $225 million-$250 million range, said Rory Bruer, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Columbia. He forecast a worldwide total exceeding $700 million. Top markets include Britain with $35 million, Japan with $33 million and Germany with $30 million.

Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp.. Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures distributed both “Over the Hedge” and “Mission: Impossible III.”

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