Sony’s The Smurfs 2 was the most popular movie on Wednesday with a $5.2 million opening day Stateside. Although the family pic’s numbers were slightly lower than DreamWorks’ Turbo (which also opened on a Wednesday at made $5.6 million and a $31 million five-day weekend), the live-action/CG hybrid is expected to draw a larger audience overseas this week.
The first Smurfs movie opened in July 2011 and made $35.6 million in its first three days at the box office and finished with a dazzling $563.7 million worldwide. Smurfs 2 brought in $1.4 million in the U.K. on Wednesday, 21 percent ahead of The Smurfs. The sequel also hit the number one spot in France and Switzerland.
Smurfs 2 is based on the evergreen comic-book property created Belgian artist Peyo (real name Pierre Culliford) and is the second in a planned trilogy by Sony. Directed by Raja Gosnell, the film also stars Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria and the voice talents of the late Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Christina Ricci, Brendan Gleeson, George Lopez and others.
In addition to facing competition from other recent family titles such as Despicable Me 2, Monsters University and Turbo, the film will also have to contend with Disney’s Planes on August 9.
