After a confusing day that saw the top three films shift almost hourly, Friday’s official estimates are out and Sony’s Grown Ups 2 is on top… for now. The sequel to 2010's Grown Ups took in an estimated $16.3 million from 3,491 locations, including $2.3 million from Thursday pm previews. Grown Ups 2 was originally expected to match the $40 million debut of its predecessor, but tracking has now been upgraded to the $45 million range. At third on Friday, Despicable Me 2 is also expected to earn $45 million this weekend, indicating that the box office confusion is far from over.
For a case in point, look no further than Pacific Rim. For a time, the Guillermo del Toro feature was expected to take top honors yesterday. Instead, Pacific Rim placed second with an estimated $14.6 million from 3,275 runs. That includes $3.6 million from the film's Thursday pm and midnight screenings – exactly what World War Z saw from its early previews. That was enough to send Pacific Rim's weekend projections soaring to $50 million or more at one point yesterday though, at the moment, tracking has it back to $37 million through Sunday. With Friday's estimates so unsteady, there is no reason to expect tracking to improve this weekend but check back tomorrow for updated estimates and analysis.
Title |
Friday |
Total |
|
1. |
Grown Ups 2 |
$16,300,000 |
$16.3 |
2. |
Pacific Rim |
$14,620,000 |
$14.6 |
3. |
Despicable Me 2 |
$13,400,000 |
$197.8 |
4. |
The Heat |
$4,200,000 |
$102.5 |
5. |
The Lone Ranger |
$3,370,000 |
$63.3 |