New York  - Star Trek, the 11th film in the cult sci-fi series, earned a whopping 72.5 million dollars at its weekend opening, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Star Trek revival movie, directed by JJ Abrams of Lost and Mission Impossible III fame, takes us back to the formative days of the Starship Enterprise as the young crew members prepare for the vessel's maiden voyage.

The hero, a rebellious James Kirk played by Chris Pine steps on the road to stardom when he triumphs over a previously unbeatable simulator invented by Spock - played by Zachary Quinto of NBC's Heroes.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was at second place, taking in 27 million dollars over the weekend, and coming in third was romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, with 10.4 million dollars for the weekend.

At number four was Obsessed starring Beyoncé at 6.6 million dollars and rounding out the top five was Zac Efron's 17 Again with 4.4 million dollars, according to Hollywood. com. (dpa)