No one gave “Hot Pursuit” a chance of topping “Avengers: Age of Ultron” at this weekend’s box office, but few believed it would open as softly as it did.
The Reese Witherspoon-Sofia Vergara vehicle earned a mere $4.2 million at the box office Friday. The opening night total puts “Hot Pursuit” on track for an opening weekend in the disappointing $10-15 million range.
The soft “Hot Pursuit” performance left “Age of Ultron” in a league of its own Friday night. Unfortunately, its $21.3 million Friday night gross represents a sharp 75% decline from last Friday’s total.
2012’s “The Avengers” endured a milder 64% drop on its second Friday. And while sequels generally do fade faster than their predecessors, they often start hotter. “Age of Ultron” did not, and it is therefore crystal clear that it the 2015 sequel, while still massive by any normal standard, is not as resonant as the 2012 original.
Friday’s top five also included “The Age of Adaline” ($1.5M, #3), “Furious 7” ($1.4M, #4) and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” ($1.2M #5).