'Neighbors' unseats Spidey to top box office

BySANDY COHEN AP logo
Monday, May 12, 2014
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Seth Rogen in a scene from "Neighbors."
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Seth Rogen in a scene from "Neighbors."
Universal Pictures, Glen Wilson-AP

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Seth Rogen and Zac Efron have bested the web-slinger 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."



The R-rated "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."



R-rated 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.



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