The rapid release of spin-offs clearly took a bite out of “The LEGO Movie” franchise.
Official sequel “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part” underperformed at the US Friday box office.
The sequel earned $8.5 million on Friday, which marked its first day of release. While enough for a first-place finish Friday (and enough to position “LEGO” for a clear weekend victory), the tally is well below expectations. It is also well below the $17.1 million earned by the original film.
It also trails the $14.5 million earned by “The LEGO Batman Movie” (though tops the $5.8 million earned by “The LEGO Ninjago Movie”).
The film will likely close the weekend with $29-32 million in receipts. That will yield a comfortable weekend victory (no other film is even a lock for $20 million), but it will be well below the $50 million-plus analysts expected.
The first film earned $69.1 million in its inaugural weekend.
New release “What Men Want” took second place with $6.6 million Friday. It should also take #2 on the weekend chart with $17-19 million.
“Cold Pursuit,” another newcomer, was #3 at the Friday box office with $3.6 million. A projected weekend finish in the $9-11 million range should keep it in the #3 slot.
“The Prodigy” took #4 at the Friday box office with $2.0 million, but it may fall below “The Upside” and “Glass” as the weekend continues. They are respectively projected for $6.5-7.5 million and $6-7 million this weekend, while “The Prodigy” may land in the $4.5-5.5 million range.
