Related Stories:

earned an awesome $5.5 million from late Thursday shows beginning at 7 p.m. The comedy sequel, starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, was playing at 2,746 locations.earned over twice as much as R-rated hits($2.63 million at midnight) and($2.56 million at 8 p.m.). It also compares favorably to last June's, which earned $1 million at late Thursday shows.Before assumingis on its way to $80 million this weekend, it's worth keeping in mind that this is an R-rated comedy sequel primarily targeting 17-34 year-olds opening at 8 p.m. after nearly all schools have dismissed for the Summer. That's to say there's a good chance that Thursday night accounts for a disproportionately high amount of the movie's overall business this weekend.Still, this virtually guarantees an opening of at least $50 million, which would make this one of the biggest R-rated comedy debuts ever.Meanwhile,earned $2 million from late Thursday shows. In comparison, last June'stook in $2.6 million.Two highly-anticipated sequels reach theaters this weekend, and both have a legitimate shot at opening north of $50 million.is debuting at 4,253 locations, which is one of the widest releases ever. Meanwhile, comedy sequelreaches 3,306 theaters.flies in to theaters four years after the original, which opened to $43.7 million in March 2010. The movie held remarkably well from there, and wound up with $217.6 million. Outside of theseries, that's the biggest total ever for a DreamWorks Animation movie. That strong hold can be chalked up to the movie's warm reception from critics and audiences: it scored an impressive 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and has a spot in the IMDb Top 250 (a rare feat for animated movies).Considering how well-liked the first movie is, it's fair to assume that the second movie will open higher. Marketing has focused on the movie's action, which seems to be significantly bigger this time around. It's also made clear that Hiccup's mother will be involved, which is an interesting twist (though many have complained that it's a pretty big spoiler as well).The most successful animated movies tend to have marketing campaigns that focus heavily on laughs: that was the case, at least, with recent hitsand. While's marketing does have some humor, it isn't front-and-center, which calls in to question whether it can attract the younger audience that's needed to push it to the next level.The four-year gap between installments is also slightly concerning. The franchise has managed to stay relevant in part thanks to theTV show, which has aired 40 episodes since 2012. That's a double-edged sword, though: while it keeps the brand in people's minds, it also turns the movie in to less of an event.Still,should benefit from a lack of competition: with Pixar taking the year off,is one of only two major animated movies this Summer. Whiledid reach some families in the past two weekends,does seem well-positioned on the schedule. The movie is also riding strong reviews: as of Thursday afternoon, it had a 92 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Dating back to 2008, six animated movies have opened in the month of June. DreamWorks Animation'shad the lowest opening of the bunch—$60.3 million—and it's hard to imaginestarting off below that level. At the same time, it would be surprising if it wound up close to last year's($82.4 million).There is a chance thatdoes wind up below $60 million this weekend. Fox is modestly expecting mid-to-high $40 million this weekend. Meanwhile, Fandango saysis selling better thanand, none of which opened above $45 million.Whilemight not make big strides at the domestic box office, it is poised to improve immensely on the first movie's $277 million foreign total. The international marketplace has grown significantly in the past four years, and 20th Century Fox's international division is particularly adept at selling animated movies (the last twomovies earned over $690 million each).is also opening this weekend, and could theoretically take first place ahead of. The respective studios, at least, seem to think that's possible: Sony is expecting $45 to $50 million for, which is the same range Fox is predicting forWhenwas first announced, it was greeted with plenty of cynicism: do we really need a big-screen version of the hokey 80s cop drama? Instead of doing a straightforward remake, though, directors and Phil Lord turned it in to an R-rated buddy comedy starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum . Audiences responded to this approach, and the movie wound up earning an impressive $138.4 million (off a $36.3 million opening).That movie ended with the promise that Hill/Tatum would be heading to college next, andis delivering on that set-up. Aside from plenty of laugh-out-loud humor—both of the college and cop variety—marketing has emphasized the camaraderie between the two leads, both of whom have seen their stars rise a bit in recent years.Tatum gained some more credibility with 2012's, while Hill received his second Oscar nomination for December's. Both actors have been active in promoting their new movie in recent weeks; a noteworthy NBA Finals spot has featured the two of them (along with co-star Ice Cube ) joking around with NBA legends.Among R-rated comedies,holds the record with $85.9 million.andall opened between $50 and $60 million, while last month's—another college-set comedy—came close to that level ($49 million). According to Fandango,is outsellingand, which suggests $50 million is possible.If both movies open over $50 million, this will be only the fourth time in history that has happened. The other three times were also in June:andin June 2013,andin June 2012, andandin June 2008.1.$67 million2.$55 million3.$20.6 million (-40%)4.$19.7 million (-59%)5.$13.5 million (-53%)The last six June animated movies opened over $60 million, andshould be reaching that level as well.is in good shape if it opens over $40 million.Box Office Mojo