Warner Bros. Pictures sequel The Hangover Part II opened to an impressive $31.66 million from 3,615 theaters on Thursday which is the highest-grossing opening day ever for a live-action comedy. It’s also the third-highest Thursday gross ever, trailing just Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith ($50 million) and The Matrix Reloaded ($37.5 million). The original Hangover opened to $16.7 million its first day. The Todd Phillips-directed sequel, starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha and Ken Jeong, earned $10.4 million from midnight screenings in 2,600 theaters and looks headed for over $120 million over the 5-day Memorial Day holiday.
Second place on Thursday belonged to Kung Fu Panda 2, which took in $5.8 million from 3,925 theaters. While that’s quite a bit below The Hangover Part II, schools were still in on Thursday and today as well. The animated sequel should have some great days at the box office this weekend.
