'Neighbors' unseats Spider-Man to top box office

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seth Rogen and Zac Efron have bested Spider-Man at the box office.

 

Rogen and Efron's family-versus-fraternity comedy "Neighbors," was the top draw for moviegoers this weekend, unseating last week's champ, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

 

"Neighbors" debuted with $51 million in ticket sales, pushing Spidey to second place with $37 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

 

"Sustaining a No. 1 ranking is generally tougher in the summer than any other time of year," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "You don't expect a comedy to be able to unseat an epic blockbuster, but historically it happens more than you think."

 

Raunchy comedies have traditionally found success in the summer movie season: Think "Bridesmaids," ''The Hangover," 2012's "Ted" and last year's "The Heat."

 

"Neighbors" stars Rogen and Rose Byrne as new parents finding their footing in the suburbs when a fraternity led by Efron moves in next door. Filled with goofball and gross-out gags balanced with a dash of heart, the comedy boasts some epic party scenes and ample shirtless Efron.

 

The Universal release earned a "fresh" rating from review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com, with 74 percent of film critics responding favorably to the film. Conversely, Sony's "Amazing Spider-Man 2" earned a "rotten" rating of 54 percent.

 

Spidey is still a major success, with more than $550 million in worldwide ticket sales so far.

 

"Spider-Man has nothing to worry about," Dergarabedian said.

 

Another comedy, the Cameron Diaz-Leslie Mann revenge romp "The Other Woman" held onto third place in its third week of release, adding $9 million to its take. "Heaven Is for Real" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" round out the top five.

 

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. 

 

1. "Neighbors," $51 million ($34.4 million international).

 

2. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," $37.2 million ($69.5 million international).

 

3. "The Other Woman," $9.25 million ($13.1 million international).

 

4. "Heaven Is for Real," $7 million.

 

5. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," $5.6 million ($3.5 million international).

 

6. "Rio 2," $5.1 million ($14.1 million international).

 

7. "Moms' Night Out," $4.2 million.

 

8. "Legends of Oz," $3.7 million.

 

9. "Divergent," $1.7 million ($3 million international).

 

10.  "Brick Mansions," $1.3 million.