LOS ANGELES — The colorful crew of “Suicide Squad” got duller in their second weekend in theaters, with audiences hungry for the raunchy fare of animated “Sausage Party.”
Warner Bros.’ intensely scrutinized comic book film broke records last weekend and managed to stay atop the box office with $43.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But its earnings dropped a steep 67 percent from last weekend.
While not unexpected for a film of its size, a fall that large is often an indicator of poor word of mouth, said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. The DC Comics film, which cost around $175 million to produce, has earned $222.9 million domestically to date and $465.3 million worldwide.
Sony’s raunchy R-rated comedy “Sausage Party,” co-written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, debuted in second place with $33.6 million, outpacing its reported production budget of $19 million.
“What is phenomenal about this result is it shows if you take risks and are high-quality and original in this marketplace, it can pay off big time,” said Josh Greenstein, Sony’s president of worldwide marketing and distribution. “It’s a big win for Sony.”
The film takes “Toy Story”-like approach to the world of supermarket food items but with bawdy humor. It features the voices of Rogen, Kristen Wiig and Jonah Hill.
ComScore’s Dergarabedian likens the buzz and solid performance to that of “Ted,” which also became a strong earner by turning a seemingly innocent concept very adult.
– The Associated Press
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