Early estimates from BoxOffice.com:

I hope Godzilla can squeeze out another $8mm or so to close over $200m, but it may not happen.

Killer opening for 22. Audiences are clearly hungry for broad-appeal comedy.

Looks like the adults are getting out to the movies.


Pretty impressive haul on Malefecent. Only 40% drop on its 3rd week?

Oh man, that Tom Cruise is so bankable....

Ironically, Edge of Tomorrow is the best flick in that Top-10 weekend line up.

The days of a big name actor selling the movie alone are over. And truth be told Tom Cruise being in that movie probably helped it a lot more than most other actors could have.

Come on, brah. Chef would like to have a word with you.

Meh.

Chef deez.

I pretty much figured that 22 Jump Street would have a monster opening. The first one was funny and became very popular on home video, the trailers for the sequel look like more of the same.

That's actually a very good Top 10. I'd argue that Summer 2014 is the best season for movies in awhile. I've seen more at the theater this past month than I did all of last year.

I liked it and all, but I had no idea the first one became a hit on video. I saw the sequel, and it's very meta about if it should be more of the same or not - it's very self-aware.

I'm honestly surprised the sequel's doing so well, especially that it beat Dragon, which I thought was a huge hit that would continue with this apparently quality sequel and that it would trounce Jumpstreet.

EDGE OF TOMORROW would have done much better if Cruise had played a chef and not an armor-suited futuristic warrior.

What really impresses me is Dragon 2 is playing in 900+ more theaters, and still got beat by an R-rated comedy by $9 million. Pretty good hold for Edge of Tomorrow. A sub 50% drop in weekend 2 of today's front loaded market is rare.

Box Office Mojo tweeted that Godzilla earned $25.8 million in it's first two days in China.

It has now passed Pacific Rim $426 million vs $411 million.

In other box office news, Box Office Mojo said Amazing Spider-Man 2 has gone over $700 million.

And Frozen is over $1.25 billion. It has been #1 in Japan for 14 straight weeks.

Which is actually a disappointment, since they were expecting at least $1billion worldwide.

Looks like HTTYD2 will follow Kung Fu Panda2 in not being able to really grow it's audience(at least domestically) despite the positive reception of the first one. Kinda puzzling... I guess they don't have the teen appeal that Despicable Me has?

Yeah, it has to be the teen appeal. I think part of it is that the 6 to 10 year olds that loved the first Dragon or Panda movie had become teenagers by the time the sequel came out and weren't as interested had they come out while they were still younger. And the 6 to 10 year olds now, were too young to be on the ground floor for the original.

I don't think HTTYD had any appeal to people older than 12 or 13. Despicable Me is a lot better franchise.

I thought the other one was really mediocre. Well done but mediocre.

I liked the sequels of both Kung Fu Panda and HTTYD better then Despicable Me

I gather though, Despicable Me and most notably '2' has become quite popular with girls - less so with boys.

I'm a grown-ass man and I majorly love the Minions . But yeah, Universal has definitely struck marketing gold and they're riding the gravy train, I see the merchandise almost everywhere.

oh so do I

the Universal Studio 'Minion' simulator ride is an utter blast by the way

Wow, that's debateable. HTTD is easily one of the best non Pixar films to date. Despicable Me was solid but not in the same ballpark and DM2 was a hot mess. I guess all you need are cute sidekicks to carry what's clearly a shitty movie. (see also Penguins in Madagascar 2 & 3). Then in true Hollywood fashion spin off said sidekicks into their own films, i.e. Penguins and Minions.