In a tight race for No. 1 at the worldwide box office, Disney-Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” with its estimated $41.4 million domestically, eked out a victory over Fox’s newcomer “Rio 2,” which ended with a projected $39 million three-day Stateside opening.
Globally, “Rio 2” grossed $101.3 million worldwide this weekend, while “Captain America” raked in just under $102 million globally.
In the States, the weekend started out favorably for “Rio 2,” winning a photo-finish race on Friday, though “Winter Soldier” wound up proving sturdier than expected, falling just 56% in its second weekend. The tentpole reached $159 million domestically (nearly 90% of the lifetime gross of the original), with more than $476 million worldwide.
This is the second straight frame during which “Captain America” has collected more than $100 million globally; pic raked in $60.6 million internationally, bringing its overseas total to $317.7 million.
“Rio 2,” on the other hand, expanded its offshore footprint to 55 territories this weekend, minting a solid $62.3 million. The sequel already had been playing in 12 markets, the largest being Brazil, with an overseas cume past $125 million.
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Domestically, the toon, which scored an ‘A’ CinemaScore across all demos, struggled to match its predecessor’s $39.2 million Stateside opening in 2011. Fox domestic distribution topper Chris Aronson attributed the sequel’s softer-than-expected bow to the nationwide warm-up on Saturday.
“Weather was extraordinary across the country,” Aronson said, “and after a brutal winter, people flocked to outdoor activities.”
Though “Rio 2” clearly drew strong family support (it will continue to do so over the coming weeks with spring break and the Easter holiday), the film failed to compete with “Captain America” for single young adults.
Further draining the under-25 well, Relativity Media’s first foray into the low-budget horror game, “Oculus” — backed by Blumhouse Prods and WWE Studios — met pre-weekend expectations with an estimated $12 million. Film was picked up at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival and was promoted at the SXSW festival before being screened by WWE in a number of cities, including New Orleans where “WrestleMania 30” took place earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s adult male-targeted sports drama, “Draft Day,” the latest starring vehicle for Kevin Costner, underperformed with just $9.8 million through Sunday.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics’ vampire drama “Only Lovers Left Alive,” from helmer Jim Jarmusch, opened decently with nearly $97,000 from four locations. The film averaged an estimated $24,244 per screen.
