America’s favorite shopping area law enforcement agent returns to theaters as Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 opens this Friday. Kevin James is back as the title character over six years after the original became a surprise mega-hit. And it really did. The first flick opened to $31.8 million in January 2009 on its way to a $146 million domestic gross.
I don’t see the sequel posting those kinds of numbers. First off, six years is a lot of time between installments. And is there really a huge outcry for a second helping of Blart? While a debut around the original’s $30M mark seems unlikely, I could see it making around the $20 million range that James’s 2011 pic Zookeeper accomplished. Considering its reported $38 million budget, it should reap a nice profit for Columbia Pictures.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 opening weekend prediction: $21.4 million
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