'Pacific Rim' Pummeled By "Grown Ups 2' At The Weekend Box Office

Pacific Rim Kaiju — The U.S. Gipsy Danger (background) approaches a Kaiju, code name Leatherback, while Rob Kazinsky as Chuck Hansen and Max Martini as Herc Hansen (with backs to camera) look on in the new film “Pacific Rim.” Warner Bros. Pictures

“Pacific Rim” may have been all about robots beating up monsters, but the film itself apparently wasn’t strong enough to win big at the U.S. domestic box office this weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, the science-fiction blockbuster ranked No. 3, losing to a pair of sequels: Adam Sandler’s new comedy “Grown Ups 2” as well as last week’s biggest earner, “Despicable Me 2.”

Guillermo del Toro’s action-packed robot epic bore a big-budget price tag of $190 million, making its $38.3 million opening weekend a bit disappointing. Even though “Pacific Rim” was given a large marketing push, it still came up somewhat small in comparison with its projected $40 million opening.

While “Pacific Rim” underperformed during its opening weekend, it wasn’t a flop on the level of some of the summer’s other big-budget action/adventure flicks. Last weekend, “The Lone Ranger” opened with a gross of $25 million, which, given its $215 million production budget, makes it highly unlikely the movie will turn a profit. In contrast, there’s still a decent chance for “Pacific Rim” to carve out a niche as a cult classic, especially considering its critical reception: It has a 73 percent “Fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Meanwhile, Sandler’s “Grown Ups 2” was a hit at the box office -- earning $42.5 million on an $80 million budget -- but a miss with critics: It has an abysmal 7 percent “Fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the lowest-rated films of the year.

In any case, the weekend’s big winner was the animated family comedy “Despicable Me 2,” which came out on top in its second week with a gross of $44.8 million.

Check out the top 10 box-office hits this weekend, according to Box Office Mojo: