American loves its Pitches. Elizabeth Banks' “Pitch Perfect 2” opened to a massive $70 million this weekend easily taking out competition such as “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Mad Max: Fury Road.” “Perfect 2's” debut is which is 5 times the size of the original's wide expansion of $14.8 million in 2012 and a record for a movie musical. Granted, that's a loose definition of “movie musical,” but it's certainly more contextually appropriate than the previous record holder, “8 Mile” which earned $51.2 million in 2002. With over $108 million worldwide in less than 10 days you can expect the announcement for a third installment in the a cappella franchise any day now.
Finding its own ferocious fan base in the second slot was George Miller's “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The Warner Bros. release took in $44.4 million domestically and $65 million overseas. That's a solid start for the action flick which reportedly cost $220 million. “Fury Road” only earned a B+ Cinemascore (“Perfect 2” rated an A-), but the universal critical acclaim may keep it in theaters long enough to make the two-year production process worth it for all involved. Miller's epic earned an 89 on Metacritic (thanks to just one mixed review) and a fantastic 98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It's first real competition arrives on May 29 when fellow studio stablemate “San Andreas” rocks theaters.
Dropping to no. 3 was “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” The Marvel Studios blockbuster took in another $38.8 million for $372 million domestically to date. Globally, the Joss Whedon thriller has earned over $1.14 billion making it just the third Marvel production to join that illustrious club. “Age of Ultron” should cross the $400 million mark in the U.S. sometime next weekend.
Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon's “Hot Pursuit” took fourth with $5.7 million and $23.5 million in just 10 days. The $35 million comedy will need substantial international grosses to eventually break even.
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” and “Furious 7” technically tied for fifth with each studio reporting $3.6 million. That brings “Paul Blart's” domestic total to $62.9 million and “Furious 7's” to $343.8 million.
New releases on Friday include 20th Century Fox's “Poltergeist” and Walt Disney Studios' “Tomorrowland.”