‘Sausage Party’ Sizzles at Record-Breaking $34 Million

Animated sausages, lady hot dog buns with a side of a Woody Allen bagel. Moviegoers bought into Columbia and Annapurna’s R-rated animated comedy “Sausage Party,” which opened to much higher grosses than expected with $33.6 million.

Featuring Seth Rogen as the voice of a grocery store weiner dog, the film easily became the highest grossing debut ever for an R-rated animated movie, dwarfing previous record holder “Team America,” which opened to $12.1 million in 2004.

Playing at 3,103 locations, it also beat Disney’s 2013 feature “Planes” (which opened at $22 million) to also become the biggest August opening for an animated film.

Also Read: Seth Rogen Scares the Bejesus Out of Shoppers With 'Sausage Party' Prank (Video)

“Sausage Party” features the additional voices of Kristen Wiig, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek and Nick Kroll, and has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82 percent, with only a B CinemaScore — which gages fan anticipation among those surveyed.

In spite of all the love for “Sausage Party,” Warner Bros. comic book movie “Suicide Squad” still won the weekend with an estimated $43.8 million from 4,255 locations. The ensemble action tentpole came in lower than predictions made earlier in the week, and ultimately had a second weekend drop of more than 67 percent — which follows a similar trajectory as “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which fell by a dramatic 69 percent in its second weekend earlier this year.

Also Read: 'Sausage Party' Review: Seth Rogen's Bawdy Food Cartoon Is Hard to Swallow

Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” didn’t have much fire, coming in at $21.5 million — lower than earlier predictions that had it topping $25 million. The movie, produced for $65 million and featuring Bryce Dallas Howard and relative newcomer Oakes Fegley, screened in 3,702 locations.

The film centers on an orphaned boy named Pete (Fegley) and his best pal, a dragon named Elliot. The cast is rounded out by Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Robert Redford.

The live-action remake of the 1977 film has an 86 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and a solid A rating on CinemaScore.

Also Read: Scenes From Press Junkets Gone Bad: a Bathroom Protest, Tom Hardy Dust-Up and a Disappearance

Finally, Paramount, Pathé and BBC Films’ warmly reviewed Meryl Streep dramedy “Florence Foster Jenkins” couldn’t crack the top five, making an estimated $6.9 million from 1,528 screens. Directed by Stephen Frears, its Rotten Tomatoes score is 88 percent, and its CinemaScore is A-.

The film follows the life of the 1940’s New York heiress after whom the film is named and her awkward attempt at becoming a great singer.

Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson and Nina Arianda also appear.

The Top Five
1. “Suicide Squad” (Warner Bros.) — $43.8 million Week 2 ($222.9 million total)
2. “Sausage Party” (Sony) — $33.6 million in Week 1 ($33.6 million total)
3. “Pete’s Dragon” (Disney) — $21.5 million in Week 1 ($21.5 million total)
4. “Jason Bourne” (Universal) — $13.6 million Week 3 ($126.8 million total)
5. “Bad Moms” (STX) — $11.5 million in Week 3 ($71.5 million total)