“Monsters University” kept alive Disney’s perfect record of opening every single Pixar film (now at 14) in the No. 1 spot: The toon grossed an outstanding $136.5 million worldwide, including an estimated $82 million domestically, which marks the fifth biggest June bow of all time.
Overseas, “Monsters University” debuted with $54.5 million from 35 territories (or 48% of the international market).
For Paramount, “World War Z,” the studio’s big-budget ($190 million) gamble, scored big with its $110 million-plus worldwide opening, of which an estimated $66 million came from domestic theaters. That marks the highest Stateside debut for a non-franchise film since “Avatar” opened with $77 million in December 2009.
Box office observers estimate that “World War Z” will end up with around $200 million domestically, based on exit polls and the film’s ‘B+’ CinemaScore rating. Internationally, “Z” should double that tally, at least.
While “Monsters University” and “World War Z” successfully managed to co-exist this weekend, Warner Bros.’ “Man of Steel” fell slightly more than expected in its second frame, down 65%, for an estimated $41.2 million. The film, which reached $210 million Stateside through Sunday, was projected to fall somewhere around 55%.
Still, the picture’s eventual drop is a respectable one coming off such a huge number last weekend, added to the competition this weekend from “Monsters University” and “World War Z.”
