14 DAY TRIAL // Reviews for “The Hangover Part II” are far from positive, with critics saying that it would have been best if the cast stopped after the first film. Audiences, nevertheless, seem to love it: the film opened to a record $118 million.
Over Memorial Day Weekend, the film made over $118 million in ticket sales, marking not only the biggest opening for a comedy ever in the history of film but also the biggest sales ever recorded on said weekend.
What’s more, it’s expected to make even more money, The Hollywood Reporter says, as cited by Yahoo! News.
“Shattering numerous records, Warner Bros.’ The Hangover Part II grossed $118.1 million in its first four days to help fuel the best Memorial Day weekend in history at the domestic box office,” THR says.
“The sequel is expected to gross another $20 million on Monday for a staggering five-day bow of $138.1 million, setting a new benchmark for comedies,” adds the publication.
These numbers are solely for the domestic box office. At the time THR covered this, no word yet on how the comedy had fared with international audiences.
Still, the US premiere marked a new record for a comedy: before “Hangover 2,” the title of best opener in the genre belonged to “Bruce Almighty,” which made $85.7 million over the same period in 2003.
“This blows everything out of the water. It’s pretty amazing stuff. Moviegoers love all the characters, and they love the story,” Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman, says in a statement.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” came in second at the US box office, with sales of $62.4 million over the 4-day weekend.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” slipped to third, but still did wonderfully overseas. In fact, the latest installment in the “Pirates” franchise did so well that it will most likely surpass $646.5 million today in global tally.
This will make “On Stranger Tides” the biggest selling movie of the year so far, THR notes.