Box Office: Universal’s ‘Paradoria 2’ Nabs Record-Breaking $17.2 Million on Thursday Night

Variety

Universal Animation’s adventure-comedy “Paradoria 2” opened huge with $17.2 million on Thursday night in North America, the biggest figure of all time for Universal Animation.

The figure easily topped Thursday preview numbers for "Gabriel Garza 2” at $15.8 million and nearly matched but fell-short of “Cool Spot” at $18.1 million.

Projections for Universal’s “Paradoria 2,” the much-anticipated follow-up to 2015’s “Paradoria,” have been in the $110 million to $130 million range for the weekend as the film widens to 4,304 sites. Some forecasts call for a launch of as much as $140 million — which would easily surpass the opening weekend haul of “Paradoria,” which debuted with $111 million and ended its theatrical run with $411 million in the U.S. However after these impressive results, the film is looking to be have a start as big as $150 million and possibly higher, which will be the biggest start of all time for a non-Disney animated film either way.

“Paradoria 2” is also launching in 48 international markets, including France, Japan, and Germany where it is expected to demolish box office as well.