If there’s one thing this weekend’s box office report can teach us, it’s that you should never underestimate the ticket-selling power of a bunch of birds with a grudge.
In its first weekend in theaters, The Angry Birds Movie surprised just about everyone by knocking Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War out of the top spot with an impressive $39 million opening in U.S. theaters. The big-screen movie based on the popular mobile game franchise is a joint production of Rovio Animation and Sony Pictures, and now owns the second-biggest opening weekend of any film based on a video game, ranking just behind 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
The strong debut for The Angry Birds Movie also puts it in a good position to challenge the (admittedly low) records set by some of the biggest films based on video games up to this point. The aforementioned Tomb Raider holds the current domestic box-office record for game adaptations with $131.1 million, while 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time holds the worldwide record with $336.3 million. If Angry Birds can find some staying power in theaters, it could very well overtake one or both films down the road.
| # | Title | Weekend | U.S. Total | Worldwide Total |
| 1. | The Angry Birds Movie | $39M | $39M | $151M |
| 2. | Captain America: Civil War | $33.1M | $347.4M | $1,053.5M |
| 3. | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | $21.8M | $21.8M | $51.8M |
| 4. | The Nice Guys | $11.2M | $11.2M | $11.2M |
| 5. | The Jungle Book | $11M | $327.5M | $857.7M |
| 6. | Money Monster | $7M | $27.1M | $36.3M |
| 7. | The Darkness | $2.3M | $8.4M | $8.4M |
| 8. | Zootopia | $1.7M | $334.4M | $981.8M |
| 9. | The Huntsman: Winter’s War | $1.2M | $46.6M | $157.9M |
| 10. | Mother’s Day | $1.1M | $31.3M | $31.3M |
Despite being knocked out of the top spot, Captain America: Civil War is still enjoying a strong run in theaters. The Marvel movie only dropped 54 percent from the previous week, and crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide. It’s now the 19th highest-grossing movie of all time after just three weekends.
Two more movies debuted in the top 10 over the weekend, with the comedy sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising earning a respectable $21.8 million and Shane Black’s noir action-comedy The Nice Guys raking in $11.2 million. Both films have earned rave reviews from critics, and while the Neighbors sequel should be satisfied — but not thrilled — with its opening weekend earnings, the tally for The Nice Guys has to be a little disappointing for the studio and fans of the film. The two films will almost certainly cover their costs and likely turn a small profit, but with so much buzz surrounding the two projects, it’s a little surprising that they didn’t fare better.
Next weekend should be an interesting one, with two big-budget, FX-driven films arriving in theaters to compete with many of this week’s big movies that are still going strong. Alice Through The Looking Glass and X-Men: Apocalypse will be competing for the new-release crowds, while Captain America: Civil War and The Angry Birds Movie should continue to draw audiences.
