‘Lone Ranger’ a Train Wreck While ‘Despicable Me 2′ Shines for Explosive Fourth
Opening day grosses for Universal’s “Despicable Me 2″ soared with $34.3 million, while Disney’s big-budget “The Lone Ranger” is resembling the high-speed train wreck depicted in the movie, grossing less than $10 million on Wednesday.
The five-day projection for “Despicable Me 2″ is now at around $125 million, depending on how well the toon holds up on the Fourth of July. The holiday itself typically is a slow moviegoing day, especially for family films.
Meanwhile, “Lone Ranger,” which cost $225 million (not including marketing), sadly looks to be another “John Carter” for Disney, with opening five day projections upwards of $45 million. That’s a paltry sum compared to what Disney needed the film to earn, and even with star Johnny Depp goosing overseas prospects, it’s highly unlikely the international markets will warm to the iconic American Western enough to make up for slagging Stateside box office.
Both “Despicable Me 2″ and “The Lone Ranger” debuted Wednesday at north of 3,900 domestic locations.
Bowing at just 876 playdates, Lionsgate-Summit’s stand-up concert docu, “Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain,” grossed an outstanding $4.8 million during its opening day, which should translate to somewhere around $29 million through Sunday.
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