As the only movie opening wide this weekend, the new ‘X-Men’ prequel is almost a sure-fire box office winner. Currently at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes with over 80 reviews, it just might end up being the best-reviewed summer blockbuster of 2011.

Like I said in my review, ‘X-Men: First Class‘ apologetically makes up for the last two terrible ‘X-Men’ movies, ‘The Last Stand‘ and ‘Wolverine‘. Combining solid performances from Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence with the strong directorial work of Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass‘) and unforgettable cool action sequences, ‘First Class’ takes the ‘X-Men’ franchise in a new, bold and refreshing direction.

The only other noteworthy film opening this weekend is the dramedy ‘Beginners‘ starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Mélanie Laurent. This beautiful coming-of-middle-age tale is well worth watching and expands into more markets over the next few weeks. Read my review here.

The last box office move this weekend is the expansion of Woody Allen’s latest comedy ‘Midnight in Paris’. I’ll have a review of that soon.