'22 Jump Street' & 'HTTYD2' fight for the top spot, but there can only be one!
This weekend saw the release of two hotly anticipated sequels that were both targeted at wildly different audiences. The end result? Both did surprisingly well, and more movie goers were given options that satisfied their entertainment needs.
However, the raunchy, tongue-in-cheek buddy cop sequel 22 Jump Street managed to get the jump (see what I did there?) on all other challengers this weekend, snagging $60 million while opening in almost 1000 less theaters than its opening opposition How To Train Your Dragon 2.
22 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, is a sequel to the 2012 big screen comedy reboot of the late 80s television cop drama 21 Jump Street. It is the fifth biggest opening on record for a comedy, and managed to handily beat 21 Jump Street's opening weekend by over $10 million.
WATCH: Channing Tatum Gushes Over 'Jump Street' Co-Star Jonah Hill
How To Train Your Dragon 2, while still beaten by the farcical antics of the Hill/Tatum comedy power-duo, still took home a considerable $50 million. Like 22 Jump Street, HTTYD2 also managed to beat its own first film's release, which only took in $43.7 million in its debut, but continued to stay in the top three spots at the box office for seven weekends. Only time will tell if this sequel will have the same monstrous staying power.
Disney's Maleficent dropped from second to third this week, still managing to pull in an impressive $19 million in sales, bringing its total domestic gross to $165.5 million, just shy of its $180 million budget. Unless interest plummets unexpectedly, it should manage to clear that milestone by next weekend.
Edge Of Tomorrow dropped too, moving from third to fourth and taking in $16.1 million for a domestic total of $56.6 million, a very far cry from its $178 million production budget. However, the film has been playing very well overseas where it's earned an additional $181 million, so it looks like the film might manage to, at the very least, not be a devastating loss for Warner Bros.
RELATED: 'The Fault In Our Stars' Knocks Out 'Edge Of Tomorrow' at Box Office
And in one of the biggest drop-offs of the year so far, the indie romantic drama The Fault In Our Stars tumbled hard, falling from first place to fifth place in one weekend. It took in $15.7 million, down a massive 67.3% from last week's earnings, for a domestic total of $81 million. However, despite the marked decline in return viewing, the film has already made its $12 million budget back several times over and will still serve as a success for the studio.
X-Men Days Of Future Past dropped two spots from fourth to sixth and earned another $9.5 million, while Godzilla dropped one spot from sixth to seventh and managed to snag $3.1 million.
A Million Ways To Die In The West with $3 million, Neighbors with $2.4 million and Chef with $2.2 million round out the weekend box-office top 10.
1. 22 Jump Street - $60 million
2. How To Train Your Dragon 2 - $50 million
3. Maleficent - $19 million
4. Edge Of Tomorrow - $16.1 million
5. The Fault In Our Stars - $15.7 million
6. X-Men: Days Of Future Past - $9.5 million
7. Godzilla - $3.1 million
8. A Million Ways To Die In The West - $3 million
9. Neighbors - $2.4 million
10. Chef - $2.2 million
