"Rio 2" didn't get great reviews, but it prevailed this weekend over all others on the strength of "Rio 1," the safety net of the animated market, and a lack of suitable competitors. The second Rio actually made more money its opening night than the first ($12 million to $10 million), Forbes reported. The money magazine anticipates a $45 million weekend, which would also top the original.
In his report, Forbes contributor Scott Mendelson couldn't resist a soft jab at the underwhelming film.
"I may end up taking the kids this weekend, if they want to see it," he wrote of "Rio 2." "For me, it will mostly be so I can see the How To Train Your Dragon 2 trailer on a big screen."
To be fair, the now established genre of animated movies has raised the bar for quality while making it increasingly difficult to come up with new ideas.
Bottom line, "Rio 2" is projected to make a lot of money after its opening night. Mendelson -- perhaps too much ingrained in the world of animated films -- placed it in "Cloudy with of Chance of Meatballs 2" range (another lesser sequel).
"Rio 2" actually has a higher imdb score than its predecessor at the moment, but that number is likely boosted by the number of harder core fans who saw it on its first night. When less enthused critics see it, they'll probably knock it from its currently solid 7.1 to somewhere in the 6's (closer to the range of mediocrity on imdb).
In other venues, "Rio 2" is already being exposed for lacking "1's" qualities. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 49 percent (compared to over 70 percent for the first), while several other outlets called it fun and praised its musical numbers, but ultimately called it flawed.
On a final (strange) note, imdb wrote these two headlines just 20 minutes apart:
Box Office: 'Rio 2′ Barely Flies Past 'Captain America' on Friday
'Rio 2' Soars Past 'Captain America' on Friday, Eyes $45 Millon Weekend Box Office Win
