Only one video game movie has ever banked more than $100 million domestically (again, Tomb Raider), but if Angry Birds holds strong going into next week it might be the second to break into that bracket.
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The 3D animated take on the popular video game features a trio of flightless birds – Red, Chuck and Bomb – who take out their anger on an invasion of purple pigs.
The film’s performance mirrors its ranking at the box office in the United States and Canada, where it collected US$39 million over the weekend. The global weekend total is an estimated $6 million for an global gross of $30 million and a worldwide tally of $51.8 million.
The PG-13 rated “Captain America: Civil War” wasn’t too far behind, earning an additional $33.1 million this weekend for a second-place spot, which brings its domestic total to $347.4 million.
The proof is in the pudding: movies based on smartphone apps can top the box office, as Sony’s The Angry Birds Movie dethrones Captain America: Civil War with an estimated $39 million.
This year will see four big-screen, blockbuster adaptations of videogames: with “Warcraft” and “Assassin’s Creed” joining “Angry Birds” and “Ratchet & Clank”. That movie has now earned more than $1 billion worldwide. The film beat industry expectations when it came out in first place over other new films like Rogen’s Neightbors 2: Sorority Rising and Gosling’s The Nice Guys, as well as overthrowing Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. Domestic distribution chief Nick Carpou said the new storyline – centering on a renegade sorority led by Chloe Moretz’ party-obsessed character – resonated among attendees. Starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, “The Nice Guys” took in $11.3 million. The sequel settled for a limp third place this weekend with $21 million, less than half of its predecessor. It added another $11 million to its total, bringing its domestic cume to $327.5 million.
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Year-to-date is $4.24 billion, including the current overall weekend of $136.5 million. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
