"The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" was easily the top ticket-seller in theaters over the weekend, but the film's $35 million opening failed to stack up to its expected haul, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The animated sequel had been forecast to draw around $50 million. Instead, it debuted with half the $69 million the 2014 original did, despite good reviews and an A-minus CinemaScore.
With about a $100 million budget, Warner Bros.' "The Lego Movie 2" had been pegged as a dependable, star-studded franchise release sure to kick-start a moribund box office. But after record ticket sales last year, Hollywood's 2019 has gotten off to such a bad beginning that the movie's tagline of "Everything is not awesome" is looking more like accurate industry analysis.
Every weekend this year has been down from the same weekend a year ago. That's a streak sure to continue. Next weekend, the new releases include "Happy Death Day 2U" and "Alita Battle Angle." What opened the same weekend last year? "Black Panther."
"Momentum is everything at the box office," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell and others reprise their voice roles in "The Lego Movie 2," while Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph join the cast. Mike Mitchell directs the movie written by original writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Oversaturation could be to blame. Since the 2014 original, Warner Bros. has released two spinoffs, "The Lego Batman Movie" and "The Lego Ninjago Movie."
Estimated weekend ticket sales:
1. "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part," $35 million.
2. "What Men Want," $19 million.
3. "Cold Pursuit," $10.8 million.
4. "The Upside," $7.2 million.
5. "Glass," $6.4 million.
6. "The Prodigy," $6 million.
7. "Green Book," $3.6 million.
8. "Aquaman," $3.3 million.
9. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," $3 million.
10. "Miss Bala," $2.7 million.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
