hangover II box office record
The Hangover sequel, set in Thailand tracked better than the original film in the international markets in which it opened. It is reported that its opening day was bigger than the first weekend that "The Hangover" screened two years ago.
The raunchy sequel directed by Todd Phillips and starring three of the four males leads from the original, "The Hangover Part II" didn't disappoint when it came to exit polls. Although the movie got reviews that weren't boffo, audiences gave it an "A-" rating after seeing it, music to the ears of Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures which financed the film, according to the Los Angeles Times.
While it was assumed that there would be a built in audience for Part 2, it could have hurt not only the weekend gross but the overall take for the film if there wasn't good buzz around it from word-of-mouth reviews.
Kung Fu Panda 2's numbers weren't as good but still solid. The cuddly and funny sequel will end the five-day Thursday through Monday period with an estimated $68 million, $48 million of which was grossed Friday through Sunday.
There was concern after its opening day only pulled in $5.8 million. It's exit poll grade exceeded that of Hangover II. The film was rated "A" by audiences who saw it, helping drive the numbers up.
The second weekend for "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" was good enough to lift the film's total gross for its first ten-day period to over $500 million world-wide. It already has exceeded the haul for Pirates 3 in its top international markets. Here in the U.S. the ten day total comes to an estimated $166 million by the end of Monday, Memorial Day.