'Cloudy 2' Brightens Box Office with Big Opening

By
Sony Pictures


Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
experienced a hefty opening this weekend, casting a dark shadow over the rest of the box office.

The animated sequel, which stars Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, and Neil Patrick Harris in voice roles, pulled in an estimated $35 million domestic in its opening, easily trumping last weekend's box-office king, Prisoners.


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Prisoners
, a thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, finished a distant second, reaping $11 million domestic for its second weekend in theaters to increase its gross total to $38.8 million.

Finishing just below Jackman and Gyllenhaal was Chris Hemsworth and co. in the biographical Formula One racing drama Rush, which stacked up $10.3 million domestic in its first week in wide-release. The '70s-set film, also starring Olivia Wilde, has reaped $23.7 million worldwide.


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Trailing Rush were a tandem of opening films, Baggage Claim (4th: $9.2 million) and Don Jon (5th: $8.8 million), which have generally received reviews that would've forecasted the two films' box-office order to be swapped.

Third-weekend films Insidious: Chapter 2 (6th: $6.6 million, $69.4 million) and The Family (7th: $3.6 million, $31.6 million) finished below to even off a relatively mild weekend at the box office beyond Cloudy 2's opening.


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Both comedy film We're the Millers (8th: $2.8 million, $142.4 million) and historical drama Lee Daniels' The Butler (9th: $2.4 million, $110.3 million) remained in the Top 10, extending their impressive eight- and seven-week runs, respectively.