The Martian projected to finish its opening weekend with more than $50m

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Ridley Scott's new sci-fi film starring Matt Damon opened on Thursday night at 2,800 locations and made $2.5million before full opening on Friday
The 20th Century Fox release was made on a budget of $109million
Damon plays a stranded astronaut attempting to survive alone on Mars
The film is based on Andy Weir's novel and it also stars Jessica Chastain

Published: 00:54 EST, 4 October 2015 | Updated: 06:22 EST, 4 October 2015

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Director Ridley Scott's new science fiction film The Martian raked in $18million on its opening day on Friday and studio executives are optimistic it will finish the weekend with more than $50million.

The film, which is based on a novel by Andy Weird and stars Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor, made $2.5million on Thursday night after opening at 2,800 locations.

The full opening of the 20th Century Fox release expanded to 3,826 locations the following day.

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Ridley Scott's new science fiction film The Martian starring Matt Damon raked in $18million on its opening day

Damon, Jessica Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara and Aksel Hennie (left to right) all appear in the film

The film made $2.5million on Thursday and is projected to rake in more than $50million over its opening weekend

The film, which features Damon playing a stranded astronaut who is attempting to survive alone on Mars so he can be rescued, was made on a budget of $109million, according to Variety.

Other films that have been released in October have also done well during their opening weekends.

Gravity debuted with $55.8million in receipts during its opening weekend in 2013 followed by Paranormal Activity 3 with $52.6million in 2011 and Jackass 3D with $50.4million in 2010.

Drug cartel drama Sicario starring Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro had a quiet opening day Friday with $4million in 2,620 locations and the film projects to take in a weekend total of just $11million.

The Martian (pictured), which is based on the book with the same title by Andy Weir, is set in the 2030s

Scott (pictured center), the film's director, said he consulted with NASA during the film-making process

Scott and scriptwriter Drew Goddard consulted extensively with NASA during the film-making process and even made inquiries about the likelihood of water being found on the Red Planet.

THE MARTIAN: WILL HE MAKE IT?

The film, based on the book with the same title by Andy Weir, is set in the 2030s, when NASA astronauts are regularly traveling to Mars and living on the surface to explore.

Mark Watney, a botanist, has only a few weeks of supplies to keep him going for the four years he would need to stay alive to be rescued.

He hatches a plan to grow his own food by converting the floor of the research station into a field.

Speaking to Yahoo Movies, he said: 'When I first talked to NASA... I said: 'So I know you've got [these] massive glaciers.' And [they] said, 'Yeah, that massive white thing [on the surface of Mars] that gets covered with dust, we think that's ice ...'

'And I said, 'Wow! Does that mean there was an ocean? Are we right now what Mars was 750million years ago?' And they went, 'Uh, good question.' So they want to go up there and find out.'

NASA then went on to announce that evidence of water had been found on Mars.

Some speculated that the space agency's announcement was deliberately delayed to coincide with the release of the movie, but NASA shot down those rumors.