Box Office: ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ Proves To Be Only Halloween Treat In Weekend Lacking In Tricks

Hotel Transylvania 2, the Sony Pictures Animation sequel, has become a smash hit for the studio and shows no signs of slowing down. Having dominated the box office in the United States, Hotel Transylvania 2 has already surpassed Hotel Transylvania with just over $156 million in earnings, and looks to continue its dominance overseas.

According to Charles Gant of The Guardian, Hotel Transylvania 2 has claimed the top spot at the U.K. box office even topping The Martian, which continues to dominate the box office domestically. In addition, Vladimir Kozlov of The Hollywood Reporter states that Hotel Transylvania 2 debuted on top of the Russian box office this weekend, topping even the fifth installment of the popular Paranormal Activity franchise, taking in $5.8 million in its first weekend of release.

During its U.S. opening weekend, Hotel Transylvania 2 broke the box office North American record for a September opening previously set by its predecessor, Hotel Transylvania, by surpassing its own expectations and raking in $47.5 million, $5 million more than Hotel Transylvania, in addition to soaring at the international box office earning $29.2 million across 42 markets, which Sony Pictures Animations says is a 150 percent raise over the original.

Hotel Transylvania 2 marks the biggest opening ever for SPA and features an all-star voice cast including Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Keegan Michael-Key, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Fran Drescher, Megan Mullally, Rob Riggle, and comedy legend Mel Brooks.

Proving to be a film with tremendous box office staying power, Hotel Transylvania 2 added $33 million to bring its box office total to just over $90.5 million and showed decent retention as it reflected only a 31.9 percent dip in returns, while most films drop off 50 percent or higher from opening weekend to week two, and just over $20.3 million in its third week, experiencing only a 38.8 percent drop from the previous week’s box office take, where it similarly only dipped 31.9 percent from its opening week. In its sixth week of release, the film, showing again its remarkable staying power, brought home just over $5.8 million at the box office bringing its overall domestic total to a staggering $156 million.

While those domestic numbers and consistency are remarkable for any film, it is the widespread accessibility toward moviegoers of all ages that has lent itself to the global success of Hotel Transylvania 2. As Todd Cunningham of The Wrap reports, Hotel Transylvania 2 has proven to be a cash cow, and likely cemented Sony’s desire to turn the property into a bona fide franchise, raking it in at the international box office to the tune, currently, of $325 million. With the Jack Black-led Goosebumps and the so-so performance of Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, as well as the disappointing flop that was Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse and Guillermo Del Toro’s fleeting Crimson Peak, Hotel Transylvania 2 proved to be the lone supplier of family friendly Halloween-themed fare for what turned out to be the worst box office weekend of 2015, domestically.

Sony Pictures President of Worldwide Distribution Rory Bruer spoke about the fortunate timing and the widespread digestibility of Hotel Transylvania 2.

“We knew if we could get out there early and successfully, we’d be set up all through the holiday. Now it’s on its way to being one of the most beloved franchises of all time. There are a lot of stories left to tell. Adam and the filmmakers have created an unforgettable animated world that plays to audiences everywhere.”

[Photo Image via Sony Pictures Animation]