Nine years of buzz aided “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” to a passable box office bow Wednesday, but it did not turn the comedy franchise into a blockbuster.
After almost a decade of hype and months of the most aggressive television promotion witnessed for a comedy of the sort, “Anchorman 2” opened to the tune of $8.1 million Wednesday.
Enough to win the daily box office race and secure favorable headlines, the opening tally keeps “Anchorman” for a five-day bow in the $45 million range most were forecasting prior to Wednesday’s release.
2004 predecessor “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” which opened on a Friday, earned $28.4 million in its first (three-day) weekend.