R-rated comedy ‘Neighbours’ unseats Spider-Man at weekend box office

LOS ANGELES — Seth Rogen and Zac Efron have bested the web-slinger at the box office.

Rogen and Efron's family-versus-fraternity comedy "Neighbours," was the top draw for moviegoers this weekend, unseating last week's champ, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

The R-rated "Neighbours" debuted with $51 million in ticket sales, pushing Spidey to second place with $37 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Sustaining a No. 1 ranking is generally tougher in the summer than any other time of year," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "You don't expect a comedy to be able to unseat an epic blockbuster, but historically it happens more than you think."

R-rated comedies have traditionally found success in the summer movie season: Think "Bridesmaids," "The Hangover," 2012's "Ted" and last year's "The Heat."

"Neighbors" stars Rogen and Rose Byrne as new parents finding their footing in the suburbs when a fraternity led by Efron moves in next door. Filled with goofball and gross-out gags balanced with a dash of heart, the comedy boasts some epic party scenes and ample shirtless Efron.

The Universal release earned a "fresh" rating from review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com, with 74 per cent of film critics responding favourably to the film. Conversely, Sony's "Amazing Spider-Man 2" earned a "rotten" rating of 54 per cent.

Spidey is still a major success, with more than $550 million in worldwide ticket sales so far.

"Spider-Man has nothing to worry about," Dergarabedian said.

Another comedy, the Cameron Diaz-Leslie Mann revenge romp "The Other Woman" held onto third place in its third week of release, adding $9 million to its take. "Heaven Is for Real" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" round out the top five.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Rentrak. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. "Neighbours," $51 million.

2. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," $37.2 million.

3. "The Other Woman," $9.25 million.

4. "Heaven Is for Real," $7 million.

5. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," $5.6 million.

6. "Rio 2," $5.1 million.

7. "Moms' Night Out," $4.2 million.

8. "Legends of Oz," $3.7 million.

9. "Divergent," $1.7 million.

10. "Brick Mansions," 1.3 million.