Though very tight, the weekend box office race ended as initially forecast, with holdover “Despicable Me 2” topping the two high-profile newcomers.
“Despicable Me 2” added $44.8 million to its haul this past weekend, which brings its cumulative gross to $229.2 million. A 46% decline from last weekend’s number, it was also enough to edge “Grown Ups 2” for first place.
After launching with a stronger-than-expected Friday, the poorly-reviewed comedy sequel finished the weekend with $42.5 million. “Pacific Rim” followed with $38.3 million.
While “Rim” is a disappointment given the nature of the film, the promotion and the whopping budget, its gross is consistent with what most analysts had come to expect.
“The Heat” finished fourth with $14.0 million; the total also pushed its domestic total over the $100 million mark. Down a whopping 62% from last weekend’s number, “The Lone Ranger” added $11.1 million to its haul for fifth place.
