"The Angry Birds Movie" has flown to be the weekend winner in the U.S. box office with $39 million on its opening weekend at 3,932 locations, beating "Captain America: Civil War" and Universal's "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" which earned $33.1 million at 4,266 locations and $21.8 million at 3,384 screens. Warner Bros.' action comedy "The Nice Guys" earned $11.3 million on its opening at 2,865 screens, just half of "Neighbors 2" which it rivals for the comedy fans' attention.
The May 20-22 weekend became one of the most competitive box office races of the year, Entertainment Weekly reported. The four films give audiences wide variety to choose. Warner Bros' "The Nice Guys" and "Neighbors 2" are drawing adult dollars, while the popular-game-turned-film offers the first new taste of major family-oriented film since "The Jungle Book" that came on April 15,.
As the weekend battle unfolded for the box office winner, "The Angry Birds Movie" is posing for a healthy month-long run at the box office. It is the only animated feature between now and June 17, when "Finding Dory" from Disney will hit theaters. As "The Jungle Book" quietly receded down the top 10, families will likely choose Sony's video game adaptation.
The animated avian movie is about the popular game that features an all-star cast. It has the voices of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad and Bill Hader, with an accompanying film OST by Demi Lovato, Charlie XCX and Blake Shelton.
Generating an A+ CinemaScore among under 25 audience, Rovio Entertainment's popular video game app is anticipated to strongly perform globally with its massive marketing campaign, according to Reuters. Directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly, the bird film is set on an island occupied by flightless, happy birds, except Red, speedy Chuck and Bomb who used the voices of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad and Danny McBride.
Video game adaptations seldom perform well with critics, but the "The Angry Birds Movie" currently stands 51 percent in Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, it is considered a success compared to reviews for those with similar genres.
Meanwhile, Marvel's most recent franchise went down to number 2, following a reign of two consecutive weeks. It crossed the $1 billion mark on Friday, and becomes the 25th film to hit such milestone, finishing the weekend with $1.05 billion.
The official theatrical trailer of the "Angry Birds Movie" follows.