'John Carter' earns soft $500,000 at midnight showings

Disney's $250 million sci-fi epic John Carter earned an underwhelming $500,000 at midnight showings, the studio confirmed. According to Disney, that figure is in line with what 2010's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time earned. That movie, also a costly adventure flick, wound up debuting to $30.1 million — and Disney would really like to see a "3" in front of John Carter's weekend gross.

But it's still way too early to tell, as midnight figures cannot be entirely trusted. After all, just last Friday, Project X took in $1.2 million at midnight screenings en route to a $21.1 million weekend. Admittedly, Project X is a more midnight-friendly movie than John Carter, but then consider last year's action fantasy Immortals, which grossed $1.4 million at midnight showings and finished its first weekend with $32.2 million.

However John Carter performs this weekend (we're predicting a $26 million debut), the movie will likely find a bit more love overseas. Disney announced that the film already posted the biggest opening day ever in Russia with a projected $6.5 million.

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