Despite tough reviews and less hype than its predecessor, Tom Hanks’ “Angels & Demons” managed to claim the weekend’s box-office crown.

The follow-up to “The Da Vinci Code” raked in $48 million, according to Nielsen EDI. The debut met most expectations, though it fell well short of “Code”’s 2006 opening of $77 million — a debut fueled partly by the story’s controversial theories about the Catholic Church. “Angels,” which sold less than half the books of “Code,” arrived with nary a word from the church and not much support from critics: Only 38 percent of reviewers recommended the film, according to RottenTomatoes.com.
Still, “Angels” edged out “Star Trek,” which held well from last week’s debut to take in $43 million for a total of $147 million. “Trek” should become the biggest movie of summer by next weekend.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” ($14.8 million) was third, followed by “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” ($6.9 million) and “Obsessed ”($4.6 million).
Ticket sales were up 4 percent over the same weekend last year.