WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Raunchy 'Grown Ups' Sequel Edges Out 'Pacific Rim; 'Despicable Me 2' Repeats

The Minions from Despicable Me 2 may have conquered the box office for a second week in a row, but the most asked question coming out of the weekend was how Adam Sandler's toilet humor antics attracted a slightly larger audience than giant robots clanking metal with Godzilla.

Grown Ups 2 and Pacific Rim clashed head-to-head for the #2 and #3 spots over the weekend, however Adam Sandler's comedy emerged victorious with $42.5 million to Pacific Rim's $38 million. Grown Ups 2 and Pacific Rim appeal to two completely polarizing demographics, but both films still fell short of Despicable Me 2's second weekend haul, opening close to $45 million.

Despicable Me 2 continues its assault on the summer box office, breaking the $200 million milestone in 12 days of release. Only Toy Story 3 and Shrek 2 reached $200 million a few days faster with both finishing above $400 million at the box office. 
   

'Pacific Rim' Wins War Against Summer Sequels, Prequels and Reboots

Two pilots control the massive "Jaeger" robots to fend off the "Kaiju" attacks in Pacific Rim.

In a summer where there's practically a sequel or prequel or reboot released weekly, it's a refreshing change of pace when an original high-concept film maneuvers into a pivotal position that challenges the landscape of a sea of summer blockbusters.

Pacific Rim is unquestionably that movie. Visionary Guillermo del Toro returns to the director's chair after a five-year hiatus since helming Hellboy II: The Golden Army back in 2008. Instead of demons and dark fairy tales, del Toro tackles a concept intended to appeal any inner child who was visually fed Transformers, Power Rangers and Godzilla. In that mindset, what can be more entertaining than robots and monsters duking it out for over two hours?

Del Toro's 'Mama" Reawakens the Old-Fashioned Scare Fest

Annabel (Jessica Chastain) and her family are haunted by an invisible spirit, known as "Mama."

Director and producer Guillermo Del Toro certainly has built a noteworthy reputation for having a keen eye for discovering finely crafted dark fantasy shorts that fail to find themselves on the mainstream radar. Taking these shorts under his wing with the goal of expanding a tightly focused narrative into a full-fledged feature film adding his own signature flair is hardly a gamble for the experienced Del Toro, however his latest project Mama treads way too similar waters.

Based on a 2008 Spanish short, Mama opens with a tragic car crash, leaving its survivors, a pair of young sisters to fend for themselves in an abandoned cabin in the woods. Nearly five years without human contact, Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lily (Isabelle Nelisse) are at last rescued and later adopted by their uncle and his rocker girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain). Things take a turn for the stranger when the girls begin communicating to their invisible guardian affectionately called "Mama."