There was nothing cloudy about the forecast for this weekend’s top earning film at the box office, Sony’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. The film has already earned $35 million dollars since opening on Friday in 4,001 theatres.
This sequel follows the first Cloudy film, which opened four years ago to $30.3 million in its opening weekend, reports Box Office Mojo. The film ended its run in theatres with a total gross of $243 million worldwide on a budget of $100 million.
This weekend’s Cloudy sequel was up against three new films, Ron Howard’s Rush starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Baggage Claim starring Paula Patton (Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon.
According to the USA Today, Rush followed Prisoners on the top earners list and took the number three spot this weekend with a modest $10.3 million. Baggage Claim took in $9.3 million, just barely beating out Don Jon which made $9 million.
Cloudy is the first animated film released since Planes two months ago, which Entertainment Weekly says added to its success this weekend. Cloudy has done well, having already earned the number four spot in the list of best September film debuts of all time, but it did not quite hit the $40 million mark that it was forecasted to make.
"People love this franchise. As good as it will be here, it will even be bigger internationally," Sony worldwide president of distribution Rory Bruer said in a statement, reports NBC News. "The film is a big hit for us and has something for the huge family."
Cloudy currently has a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, though 74% of top critics gave it a fresh review, and 77% of moviegoers liked the film.
The final reports for weekend box office earnings will be posted on Monday.
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures.