Terminator Salvation's Debut: Good, Bad, T-riffic?

The news: Terminator Salvation grossed an estimated $13.3 million yesterday. The bottom line: to be determined.

In the rundown of Hollywood's biggest opening days, Salvation's doesn't make the Top 100. Among Thursday openers, the $200 million explosion extravaganza barely cracks the Top 20.

Still, Box Office Mojo's Brandon Gray called the debut "a very good number" that left a projected $70 millionish Memorial Day weekend a possibility.

"Terminator Salvation wasn't as big as Terminator 3, relatively speaking," Gray said today, "but it was still strong considering that Terminator 3 wasn't well liked, and the new picture lacks the iconic figure from the franchise."

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who menaced and befriended the Connor clan in the first three Terminator movies, is only briefly back in the new Christian Bale movie.