NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – The mighty minions of “Despicable Me 2” beat human comedy star Adam Sandler’s new “Grown Ups 2” at the U.S. and Canadian movie box office this weekend.
The animated film featuring the crowd-pleasing yellow minions collected $44.8 million from Friday through yesterday, edging out Sandler’s comedy sequel, which racked up $42.5 million in ticket sales – in line with industry projections.
Big-budget thriller “Pacific Rim,” an apocalyptic battle that pits towering monsters against giant, human-piloted robots, settled for a third-place finish with $38.3 million, at the low end of industry projections for the film.
Sandler’s “Grown Ups” sequel reunites the comedian with pals Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade in a follow-up to the 2010 original, and adds a younger generation of characters including “Twilight” actor Taylor Lautner. This time, Sandler’s character, Lenny, moves back to his hometown.
Critics bashed the movie, with only 7 percent recommending the film among reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes website. But Sandler fans turned out and audiences gave the film a “B” rating in polling by survey firm CinemaScore.
“This is a great start,” said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment, adding that “for us to succeed at this level bodes well for the future of the film,” which he noted out-grossed the first film’s opening.
“Despicable Me 2,” featuring the voice of Steve Carell, made another powerhouse showing in its second weekend at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters. The film, produced by Illumination Entertainment, brought its worldwide total to $472 million through Sunday.
The 3D spectacle “Pacific Rim” tells the story of an epic clash between giant alien monsters and human-controlled robots that try to save the world from the invaders. The film stars actors best known in cult television shows including Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman from FX’s drama “Sons of Anarchy” and Idris Elba from HBO’s gritty drug series “The Wire.”
