LOS ANGELES (Bloomberg) - Sony Corp.'s feature Hotel Transylvania 2, a sequel to the vampire-themed 2012 original, led the North American box office on its debut, outdrawing two other new movies. The family film, which features the voices of Adam Sandler and pop star Selena Gomez, brought in US$47.5 (S$67.7 )million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, Rentrak Corp. said Sunday in an e-mailed statement.
The Intern, which stars Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway, came in second, while The Green Inferno opened in ninth place. With Hotel Transylvania 2, Sony Pictures repeated the success of its first film, profiting from a dearth of family movies at theaters. When the original opened three years ago, it set a September record with a US$42.5 million first weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.
The picture also marks a return to form for its star voice, Sandler, who has struggled in recent outings. In the latest installment, Dracula relaxes his monster-only hotel policy, opening the doors to human guests. But he worries that his half-human grandson Dennis doesn't look enough like a vampire. So "Vampa" Drac puts Dennis through a "monster-in- training" boot camp.
The film garnered 46 percent positive reviews, according to aggregator Rottentomatoes.com. It was forecast to collect US$38 million in its debut, according to BoxOfficeGuru.com. The original scored 44 percent on RottenTomatoes and earned US$148.3 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales.
