‘Pacific Rim,’ ‘Grown Ups 2’ Can’t Beat ‘Despicable Me 2’ At The Box Office

Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim and Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2 couldn’t beat the animated family flick Despicable Me 2 at the box office this weekend.

Many analysts believed that Sandler’s sequel to his 2010 box office hit would end up destroying the competition at the box office. Although it managed to make more cash than del Toro’s $200 million action flick, it couldn’t trump Gru and his legion of lovable yellow minions.

Universal and Illumination Studios’ Despicable Me 2 brought in a tidy $44.8 million over the weekend. This pushes its domestic total to a deeply impressive $229.2 million. Thanks to brisk business overseas, the sequel currently has an international total of approximately $400 million.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grown Ups 2 landed in second place with around $42.5 million in ticket sales. Despite the numerous negative reviews the picture received ahead of its release, this didn’t stop quite a few moviegoers from giving the follow-up some of their hard-earned money.

Unfortunately for Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, and director Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim ultimately fell short of expectations. The big-budget monster movie brought home approximately $38.3 million at the box office this weekend. This doesn’t bode well for del Toro’s proposed sequel.

However, Pacific Rim may end up rebounding thanks to some strong business overseas. Forbes is reporting that the very expensive creature feature ended up generating $53 million in receipts overseas. Strong word of mouth may help keep the movie afloat for several weeks.

Although there are still a number of strong contenders waiting in the wings, the glut of this summer’s major releases have already come and gone. The Wolverine, Elysium, and R.I.P.D. are still on-deck, though none of these films are expected to pull in overwhelming numbers at the box office.

Given the success of Despicable Me 2 and Grown Ups 2 over the weekend, it’s safe to say that more follow-ups could be taking shape as this article goes to press. However, it remains to be seen if Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures will be willing to take a chance on Pacific Rim 2.

Did you catch Grown Ups 2 or Pacific Rim in theaters over the weekend? Are you surprised these new releases couldn’t beat Despicable Me 2 at the box office?

[Image via Warner Bros. / Legendary Pictures]