The human heroes at the heart of “Pacific Rim” now have something else to worry about besides Kaiju — Adam Sandler and his minions.
“Grown Ups 2,” which reunites Sandler with original co-stars Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade, debuted to a strong $16.3 million on Friday for first place. It will earn around $45 million for the three-day, which may not be enough to block out last week’s champ, the animated holdover “Despicable Me 2,” which performed well in third place.
Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” failed to make a big impact in its opening day, carving up a worrisome $14.6 million for a second place finish. It will likely earn between $35 and $40 million for the weekend, which is a disappointment considering its budget of close to $200 million. It stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day.
“Despicable Me 2” picked up another $13.4 million for third, but don’t be surprised if it pass “Pacific” or even “Grown Ups” for the top spot by Sunday. With families often making Saturday movie day, “Despicable” looks likely to at least pull ahead of “Pacific.”
The animated film features the voices of Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig and has so far earned a whopping $197.8 million domestically.
Meanwhile, the Sandra Bullock-Melissa McCarthy comedy “The Heat” continues to burn the competition. It came in fourth place with $4.2 million. The film’s box office take stands at a nifty $102.5 million.
Disney’s “The Lone Ranger” hasn’t gained much steam since its flat opening last week. It made off with $3.3 million on Friday, placing it in fifth place. So far, the western film, starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp, has earned just $63.3 million, although it is rumored to have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $250 million to produce.
All the smaller side of things, Fox Searchlight’s “The Way, Way Back” — also featuring Carell — earned a handsome $304,000 on 37 screens, while The Weinstein Co.’s acclaimed “Fruitvale Station” grossed a huge $127,445 from only 7 theaters.
Look for complete weekend estimates tomorrow on HitFix.