Box office update: 'Monsters University' and 'The Heat' crush 'White House Down' on Friday

Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock proved they were an appealing comedic duo on Friday — but they couldn’t outpace the animated pairing of Mike and Sully at the box office.

Monsters University topped the chart with $14.3 million yesterday, putting the Pixar sequel on track for an excellent $49 million second weekend. That would give the family film a $175 million total after ten days — a healthy total as it prepares to take on Despicable Me 2 next weekend.

In second place, The Heat scored an excellent $13.6 million, which easily trumps McCarthy’s last two starring efforts: Bridesmaids, which opened with $7.8 million on a Friday, and Identity Thief, which began with $11.1 million on a Friday. The Heat may take in about $39 million this weekend, which would not only be a fantastic start considering its $43 million budget, but also a career-best opening for both Bullock and McCarthy.

In such a competitive marketplace, White House Down got off to a very discouraging start. Since its debut at 7 p.m. on Thursday, the $150 million Channing Tatum/Jamie Foxx action film has earned only $9 million, and it may have to settle for a sad $25 million opening weekend. That would be just half of the $50.2 million that Roland Emmerich’s other White House destruction film, Independence Day, garnered on its opening weekend in 1996. It would also be a big step below the $30.4 million debut of Olympus Has Fallen, this year’s remarkably similar White House action film, which ultimately grossed $98.7 million against a $70 million budget.

World War Z held in fourth place with $8.9 million, and it will almost certainly pass White House Down by Sunday. The ultra-expensive Brad Pitt zombie thriller is headed to a $31 million weekend gross, which would yield a $124 million total after two frames.

Rounding out the Top 5 was Man of Steel, which fell by 52 percent from last Friday (a much kinder drop than the 72 percent Friday-to-Friday plunge one week ago) to $6 million, which puts it on pace for a $21 million weekend.

1. Monsters University – $14.3 million

2. The Heat – $13.6 million

3. White House Down – $9.0 million

4. World War Z – $8.9 million

5. Man of Steel – $6.0 million

Check back tomorrow for the full box office report, and follow me on Twitter for more box office conversation and up-to-the-minute box office updates.

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