Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies' Ninja Turtles sequel opened with a solid $2 million during Thursday night preview screenings at about 3,000 U.S. sites, while the Warner Bros. romantic drama Me Before You took in $1.4 million. Universal's Andy Samberg comedy Popstar launched quietly with $322,000 on Thursday.
According to early Friday returns, the family friendly sequel looks to earn $10 million on Friday from 3,701 theater for a domestic debut, and is expected to win the weekend with somewhere in the $35 million to $40 million range at 4,071 locations.
Friday's take includes $2 million in Thursday night views. The Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies film cost $135 million and was produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes.
The original film earned $4.6 million in previews on its way to a $195 million domestic gross and $493.2 million worldwide.
The sequel is making a major push overseas, where it launches in 40 markets this weekend, representing 40 percent of the marketplace. The movie opens in China on July 2.
Out of the Shadows, directed by David Green from a script by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, stars the terrapins along with Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Brian Tee, Tyler Perry, Laura Linney, Noel Fisher and Jeremy Howard. In TMNT 2, the Heroes in a Half Shell come into conflict with Perry's evil Dr. Baxter Stockman.
Turtles has been pegged to top Fox's second weekend of X-Men: Apocalypse, which should should pull in more than $25 million at 4,153 sites. Apocalypse had topped $90 million domestically as of Wednesday.
New Line and MGM's Me Before You, starring Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones and Sam Claflin from Hunger Games, is expected to make about $15 million at 2,704 locations. That may be enough to take third place over Disney's second weekend of Alice Through the Looking Glass at 3,763 sites.
Me Before You is based on Jojo Moyes' bestselling novel. Clarke portrays a caretaker for a wealthy young man who was recently paralyzed after being hit by a car.
Popstar, starring Samberg’s rock parody group, the Lonely Island, carries low expectations with a forecast of $6 million at 2,310 sites.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter.
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