Comcast Failed To 'Kick-Ass' Last Weekend (CMCSA)

Universal Studios, which was acquired by

during Q1 2013, failed to deliver a successful sequel to the original

. Plagued by questionable ads (the second film was accused of looking too similar to the original) and a now-infamous

with comedic actor Jim Carrey,

came to theaters with a lot of studio hype, but very little fan attention.

may have also been hurt by its R-rating, which tends to limit a film's potential, since minors are not officially allowed to purchase tickets without an adult. Even so, the film earned just

over the weekend, which is

than the original made when it first opened in April 2010. This suggests that consumers were not simply turned off by the ads or the controversy -- they may have also been reluctant to see another sequel that could disappoint.

Thus far, the film's Internet Movie Database rating (

) is just a couple tenths below the first

(

). This is much better than

, which received a rating of just

versus the original

slightly more respectable rating of

.

made just

when it opened on August 2. With a budget of $105 million, the sequel actually cost

than its predecessor. But the first film made $35 million when it debuted and went on to earn $100 million by the end of its third weekend. As of August 18,

is estimated to have earned $56.9 million. Though it is more common for movie sequels to have increased budgets,

was actually cheaper to produce (it had a $28 million budget) than the first

(which had a $30 million budget).

was not expected to break any records this weekend, but it was predicted to earn

. Meanwhile, many expected

to fall within the $24 million range. According to

,

surpassed that goal and earned $25 million last weekend. Assuming the film holds steady in the weeks to come, the Weinstein Company should easily recoup its budget of $30 million.

, which earned an estimated $17.7 million last weekend, is already profitable. The film's total domestic gross currently stands at

-- double the $37 million budget. Disclosure: