‘The Lego Movie 2’ opens at No. 1

NEW YORK — “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” was easily the top ticket-seller in theaters over the weekend, but the film’s $35 million opening failed to stack up to its expected haul, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The animated sequel had been forecast to draw around $50 million but debuted at half the $69 million the 2014 original did, despite good reviews and an A-minus CinemaScore.

Next weekend, the new releases include “Happy Death Day 2U” and “Alita: Battle Angel.” “Black Panther” opened the same week last year.

Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell and others reprise their voice roles in “The Lego Movie 2,” while Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph join the cast. Mike Mitchell directs the movie written by original writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

Oversaturation could be to blame. Since the 2014 original, which grossed $469 million worldwide, Warner Bros. released two spinoffs: “The Lego Batman Movie” in 2017 and “The Lego Ninjago Movie” later the same year.

This weekend’s top releases included Taraji P. Henson’s “What Men Want” and the Liam Neeson thriller “Cold Pursuit.” Both did solid if not spectacular business.

Paramount’s “What Men Want,” a loose remake of the 2000 Mel Gibson comedy, debuted with $19 million. Henson plays a sports agent with the ability to hear men’s thoughts . The film got poor reviews (47 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences gave it an A-minus CinemaScore.

Lionsgate’s “Cold Pursuit” debuted with $10.8 million, a result in line with expectations despite the controversy that surrounded its star last week. Neeson drew heavy criticism after he acknowledged that he wanted to kill a random black person when a close friend told him a black man had raped her.

Organizers for the film’s New York premiere canceled the film’s red carpet.