By DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES
Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy brought “The Heat” against Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx at the box office.
The Fox action-comedy starring the funny ladies as mismatched detectives earned $40 million in second place in its opening weekend, topping the $25.7 million debut haul of Sony’s “White House Down,” according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Disney-Pixar animated prequel “Monsters University” remained box-office valedictorian in its second weekend, earning $46.1 million in first place.
As for “The Heat,” employing two female leads to buck the male-dominated buddy-cop formula paid off in ticket sales.
Meanwhile, Paramount’s “World War Z” took another bite out of the box office in its second weekend domestically with $29.8 million. Overseas, the globe-trotting zombie thriller starring Brad Pitt cleared $70.1 million in 51 territories.
Overall, Dergarabedian said revenue and attendance are now both down just 2 percent over last year, and this weekend’s films grossed 8.5 percent less than last year when Universal’s “Ted” opened with $54.4 million at the box office. He said those numbers could shift further next week when Disney’s “The Lone Ranger” and Universal’s “Despicable Me 2” debut.
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. “Monsters University,” $46.1 million ($44.2 million international).
2. “The Heat,” $40 million.
3. “World War Z,” $29.8 million ($70.1 million international).
4. “White House Down,” $25.7 million ($6.8 million international.)
5. “Man of Steel,” $20.8 million ($52.2 million international).
6. “This Is the End,” $8.7 million.
7. “Now You See Me,” $5.5 million ($5 million international).
8. “Fast & Furious 6,” $2.4 million ($6.1 million international).
9. “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” $2 million ($2 million international).
10. “The Internship,” $1.4 million ($3.6 million international).
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Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1. “World War Z,” $70.1 million.
2. “Man of Steel,” $52.2 million.
3. “Monsters University,” $44.2 million.
4. “Despicable Me 2,” $41.5 million.
5. “The Hangover Part III,” $7.7 million.
6. “Fast & Furious 6,” $6.1 million.
7. “Epic,” $5.1 million.
8. “Now You See Me,” $5 million.
9. “The Internship,” $3.6 million.
10. “The Great Gatsby,” $3.3 million.
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.
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