Box Office Report: 'Pacific Rim' Opens to $3.6 Million Thursday Night; 'Grown Ups 2' Nabs $2.3 Million

Fanboys turned out in strong numbers Thursday night to see Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim, taking in $3.6 million to match the start of World War Z, which went on to gross $66.4 million for the weekend.

From Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, Pacific Rim made headlines as it opened in Asia on Thursday, grossing $3.8 million from seven markets. The 3D sci-fic epic outpaced a slew of films that went on to gross between $300 million and $400 million internationally.

The news from Australia, which often mirrors the U.S. in terms of playability, was more troubling. Pacific Rim grossed a soft $666,000 as it opened on Thursday, coming in No. 4 behind Despicable Me 2, the opening day of The Heat and Monsters University (with school holidays, Despicable 2 and Monsters U are thriving).

Sony's ensemble Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups 2 didn't do too shabby either as it likewise began rolling out in North America Thursday night, grossing an impressive $2.3 million. That's a great result for a comedy and easily bested the $1 million earned Thursday night by box-office pleaser The Heat.

PHOTOS: 'Pacific Rim' Premiere: Big Robots Bring Out the Big Stars

Box-office experts are divided as to whether Pacific Rim can overcome poor tracking. Based on prerelease tracking, they believe it may only open in the $30 million range, a financially precarious beginning for a movie that cost at least $190 million to produce (Legendary took the lead on the project and paid for the majority of the budget).

But WB and Legendary believe Pacific Rim could gross well north of $40 million, based on strong reviews and the buzz on social media. The big question will be how much Pacific Rim drops. A fanboy-driven film often will do especially big business on Friday but see substantial declines as the weekend progresses. That won't be the case if Pacific Rim can lure families as well.

Pacific Rim, pitting giant robots against alien monsters, stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day.

Imax theaters should do big business, with 23 percent of Thursday night's gross coming from Imax locations ($835,000). Overall, 52 percent of the $3.6 million came from 3D locations, including Imax.

Pacific Rim opens just as Thomas Tull's Legendary and Warners prepare to part ways. Earlier this week, Legendary announced it has struck a new co-financing and production deal with Universal.

Sony's Grown Ups 2, with a budget of $80 million, opens three years after the original film turned into a box-office hit, opening to $40.5 million and ultimately grossing $271.4 million worldwide.

The ensemble comedy -- receiving blistering reviews -- reteams Sandler with Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph and Maria Bello. Grown Ups 2 had an abysmal 3 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of Thursday afternoon.

Sony insiders believe the sequel will open in the same range as the 2010 film.

Universal's megahit Despicable Me 2 could easily stay at No. 1 in its second weekend. The 3D animated tentpole has already earned north of $165 million domestically and over $316 million worldwide.

Box Office Report: Brad Pitt's 'World War Z' Opens to $3.6 Million Thursday Night

Paramount's zombie extravaganza World War Z grossed $3.6 million as it began its North American assault Thursday night, competing for attention with the final NBA championship game between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs.

Disney and Pixar's Monsters University, the weekend's other new entry, also began rolling out at 8 p.m., grossing $2.6 million. The long-awaited sequel is widely expected to top the North American box office chart with a debut in the $70 million-plus range. Earlier this year, Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful did $2 million in Thursday night business on its way to a $79.1 million weekend.

PHOTOS: 'Night of the Living Dead' to 'World War Z': The Evolution of Zombie Films

Pointing out that World War Z is an original property, Paramount is projecting a $40 million to $45 million domestic debut for the movie, starring and produced by Brad Pitt. But other box office observers says the film, based on Max Brook's 2006 novel of the same name, is likely to open in the $45 million to $50 million range.

Earlier this summer, The Great Gatsby took in $3.3 million in midnight shows on its way to a $50.1 million North American opening.

In addition to Monsters U, World War Z will have to compete with holdover Man of Steel, which could earn anywhere from $50 million to $60 million in its second outing.

Thursday night's basketball game no doubt kept many moviegoers at home. Hollywood studios -- including Paramount -- blanketed the game with ads promoting their movies, including two spots for World War Z.

World War Z, rated PG-13, cost $190 million to produce after tax incentives. Extensive reshoots bumped up the budget, which was originally at $150 million. The pic, directed by Marc Forster, was initially slotted to open in December 2010.

PHOTOS: 'World War Z' Premiere: The Zombie Apocalypse Starts in London

Overseas, World War Z is already scaring up strong business, scoring $5.7 million on Thursday and pacing in line with Christopher Nolan's original event pic Inception.

In South Korea, World War Z grossed $1.5 million, ahead of the $1.1 million earned a week ago by Man of Steel. Inception's opening-day gross in South Korea was $941,000.

World War Z grossed $1.1 million in Australia, in line with Inception. And the movie made the record books in Argentina, grossing $710,000, double the Man of Steel and the third-best Thursday of all time.

Twitter: @sajilpl

Box Office Preview: 'Man of Steel' Breaks Records in Asia, Lands in U.S. Thursday Night

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' much-anticipated Man of Steel is already off to a record-breaking start in Southeast Asia, where the superhero tentpole scored the biggest opening day of all time in the Philippines and the biggest opening day for a Warners film in Taiwan.

PHOTOS: Superman Turns 75: The Man of Steel's Legacy in Pictures

Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan, begins rolling out at the North American box office Thursday night before playing everywhere on Friday. Box-office observers expect the $225 million film to open in the $85 million-to-$100 million range, although Warners is being more conservative and projecting an $80 million bow.

Overseas, Man of Steel is opening day-and-date in 24 markets, landing first in the Philippines and Taiwan, where it earned $1.7 million and $794,742, respectively. Among other major markets, it opens in the U.K. and Mexico on Friday. The following weekend, the tentpole opens in 26 additional markets, including China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Spain.

British actor Henry Cavill stars as Clark Kent, aka Superman, in the origin tale, which sees his character trying to hide his superpowers and live a normal life on Earth. Amy Adams stars as Lois Lane, and Michael Shannon takes on the role of the menacing General Zod.

PHOTOS: Henry Cavill's Career: From 'Tudors' Nobility to 'Man of Steel' Superhero

David S. Goyer penned the script based on a story by he and Nolan. Warners and Legendary turned to Nolan as a producer on the project after he successfully revived the Batman franchise with his Dark Knight trilogy. In the summer of 2005, Nolan's Batman Begins opened to $48.7 million and had incredible staying power.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's This Is the End, the weekend's other new offering, debuted Wednesday in order to get a jump on Man of Steel. The Sony comedy is overperforming so far, posting an opening-day gross of $7.8 million and putting it on course for a five-day debut in the low- to mid-$30 million range.

VIDEO: 'Man of Steel's' Henry Cavill on Fame: 'Going to Starbucks Is Now a Thing of the Past'

Marking the directorial debut of Rogen and Goldberg, This Is the End stars Rogen opposite Jonah Hill, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera and Emma Watson.

In the raunchy comedy, the actors -- all playing fictional versions of themselves -- are attending a star-studded party at Franco's house when the apocalypse begins and they're forced to work together to survive. The feature is based on a short film created by Rogen and Baruchel in 2007 titled Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse. Rogen and Goldberg also co-wrote the scripts for Superbad, The Green Hornet and The Watch.

New entires at the specialty box office include Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, which A24 Films opens in five theaters, and The Weinstein Co.'s documentary 20 Feet From Stardom.

Twitter: @sajilpl