By Erich Schwartzel
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" easily dominated the box office this
weekend, though the superhero sequel lost more steam in its second
week than its predecessor.
The epic from Walt Disney Co.'s Marvel Studios collected an
estimated $77.2 million in the U.S. and Canada, bringing its
domestic total to $312.8 million--enough already to count as one of
the year's biggest hits.
But "Ultron," which cost roughly $250 million to make, continues
to fall behind the original "Avengers" domestically. Its box office
fell 60% in its second week, typical for a big-budget event film
but steeper than the 50% drop seen with 2012's "The Avengers." The
original was about $60 million ahead of "Ultron" at this point in
its release.
When the sequel's opening weekend fell about $16 million short
of the original's record-setting $207 million haul, many analysts
blamed most of the drop on the preponderance of outside
entertainment like the boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr.
and Manny Pacquiao and the Kentucky Derby. Now with second-week
numbers falling by comparison, it is unclear if the performance
could adjust expectations for upcoming franchise releases like
"Jurassic World" and "Mission: Impossible--Rogue Nation."
It is a different story overseas, though, where "Ultron" is
outperforming its predecessor. "Ultron" has collected $562 million
from international territories so far, up about 20% in local
currencies compared with where the original "Avengers" was at this
point. U.S. studios collect a smaller share of the box-office
revenue from overseas sales.
"Ultron" has yet to open in several key territories, including
China, the world's second-largest box-office market, where it will
debut on May 12.
The weekend's only new wide release, "Hot Pursuit," opened to a
tepid $13.3 million. "Hot Pursuit," from the New Line label at Time
Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, stars
Reese Witherspoon as a strait-laced cop who must protect a drug
lord's widow, played by, Sofia Vergara.
The comedy was hit with bad reviews and received a "C+" grade
from opening-weekend audiences, according to the CinemaScore market
research firm.
The dominance of "Ultron" was enough to keep significant
competition at bay this weekend, but that will change Friday when
Warner Bros.' "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Pitch Perfect 2" from
Comcast Corp.'s Universal Studios hit screens.
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