Box Office: 'Pitch Perfect 2' Outsings 'Mad Max' With Stunning $70.3M Debut

By Pamela McClintock

The Pitches are back in a big way.

Scoring one of the top openings of all time for a non-tentpole, Elizabeth Bank’s Pitch Perfect 2 opened to a massive $70.3 million at the North American box office, thanks to ardent female fans. And in only three days, it’s earned back more than twice its $29 million budget — and more than the first Pitch Perfect grossed in its entire domestic run ($65 million).

The Universal film easily overshadowed George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, even though Fury Road opened to a respectable $44.4 million.

Males made up the vast majority of Mad Max’s audience, while 46 percent were under the age of 25. (That’s not a bad turnout for a sequel in a film series that launched in 1980.) The issue Fury Road faces is that it cost at least $150 million to make. Warner Bros. and Village Road show partnered on the film, starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron.

Appealing heavily to younger femmes, Pitch Perfect 2 marks the feature directorial debut of Banks and stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Hailee Steinfeld. Steinfeld is a new addition, and stands to inherit the franchise. In terms of fellow female films, the sequel is just ahead of the first Twilight and Maleficent.

Pitch Perfect 2 earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences, as well as good reviews from many critics. Fury Road is an all-out hit among reviewers, sporting a 98 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave it a B+. Heading into the weekend, tracking suggested both films would open in the $40 million range.

Both Fury Road and Pitch Perfect 2 opened overseas this weekend. International numbers weren’t immediately available.

Watch the cast of ‘Pitch Perfect 2′ sing your favorite songs: