“Star Trek Into Darkness” scored an 87 percent positive critical average on

“Star Trek Into Darkness” scored an 87 percent positive critical average on Rotten Tomatoes, an audience CinemaScore of “A” and managed to beat every other film at the multiplex over the weekend.

The only thing the sequel to the 2009 franchise reboot didn’t beat? Expectations.

Director J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi blockbuster carried a reported $190 million budget. Paramount, who co-financed the movie with Skydance Productions, had projected a $100 million four-day domestic total, a figure that most industry analysts supported last week. The latest adventure for the Starship Enterprise had no problem opening in the #1 spot, but generated just $84.1 million in its first four and a half days (showings began Wednesday evening).

Even with ticket price inflation, a massive marketing campaign, positive reviews and pricier 3-D and IMAX screenings, “Into Darkness” fell short of the $84.1 million four-and-a-half day total for 2009’s “Star Trek.” BadAssDigest.com’s Devin Faraci warned that the cat-and-mouse publicity game surrounding the “Star Trek” villain could hurt its grosses. BoxOfficeMojo.com theorized, after the weekend, that many had already spent their movie money on “Iron Man 3” and “The Great Gatsby” or are simply saving up for this weekend’s “Fast & Furious 6” and “The Hangover Part III.”

“Star Trek Into Darkness” has proven much stronger than its predecessor in international markets, where “Star Trek” did somewhat poorly. The sequel has generated $80.5 million in 34 foreign markets (including an $8 million debut in Russia over the weekend) with a $165.4 million worldwide total for Chris Pine, John Cho and crew.

See a recent interview with John Cho: