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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