LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seth Rogen and Zac Efron have bested the web-slinger at the box office.
Rogen and Efron’s family-versus-fraternity comedy “Neighbors,” was the top draw for moviegoers this weekend, unseating last week’s champ, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”
The R-rated “Neighbors” debuted with $51 million in ticket sales, pushing Spidey to second place with $37 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
“Sustaining a No. 1 ranking is generally tougher in the summer than any other time of year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. “You don’t expect a comedy to be able to unseat an epic blockbuster, but historically it happens more than you think.”
R-rated comedies have traditionally found success in the summer movie season: Think “Bridesmaids,” ”The Hangover,” 2012’s “Ted” and last year’s “The Heat.”
“Neighbors” stars Rogen and Rose Byrne as new parents finding their footing in the suburbs when a fraternity led by Efron moves in next door. Filled with goofball and gross-out gags balanced with a dash of heart, the comedy boasts some epic party scenes and ample shirtless Efron.
The Universal release earned a “fresh” rating from review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com, with 74 percent of film critics responding favorably to the film. Conversely, Sony’s “Amazing Spider-Man 2” earned a “rotten” rating of 54 percent.
Another comedy, the Cameron Diaz-Leslie Mann revenge romp “The Other Woman” held onto third place in its third week of release, adding $9 million to its take. “Heaven Is for Real” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” round out the top five.
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. “Neighbors,” $51 million.
2. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” $37.2 million.
3. “The Other Woman,” $9.25 million.
4. “Heaven Is for Real,” $7 million.
5. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” $5.6 million.
6. “Rio 2,” $5.1 million.
7. “Moms’ Night Out,” $4.2 million.
8. “Legends of Oz,” $3.7 million.
9. “Divergent,” $1.7 million.
10. “Brick Mansions,” 1.3 million.
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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