Ridley Scott's latest sci-fi endeavor “The Martian” lifted off with $18 million in Friday receipts, suggesting it will finish its opening weekend with a total of over $50 million, according to studio estimates.

The 20th Century Fox release, which stars Matt Damon as a stranded astronaut attempting to survive alone on Mars, bowed in 2,800 locations Thursday night to $2.5 million. The $109-million budget film expanded to 3,826 locations on Friday. Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jeff Daniels also star in “The Martian”, which is drawing praise for its optimism, something of a novelty in the space-exploration genre.

Based on Andy Weir's novel, “The Martian” is on track to join the ranks of high-grossing October releases. Current top-dog “Gravity”, which launched on the same weekend in 2013, is the one to beat with its $55.8 million haul, followed by 2011's “Paranormal Activity 3” with $52.6 million. 

Also playing this weekend is drug cartel drama “Sicario” starring Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro, which opened to $4 million. 

Srource: Variety