'10 Cloverfield Lane' opens well, but 'Zootopia' roars

The Abrams-produced monster movie, a so-called "spiritual successor" to 2008's found-footage hit "Cloverfield," opened with a better-than-expected $25.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Perhaps sensing trouble, Sony Pictures had postponed the release date of the R-rated comedy numerous times.

Whereas Cohen's most popular characters — Borat and Ali G — were deployed largely to satirize America, moviegoers showed less enthusiasm for the British parody of "Brothers Grimsby," a poorly reviewed R-rated, U.K.-set spy comedy.

With the multiplexes stuffed with R-rated offerings ("Deadpool," ''London Has Fallen," ''Whiskey Tango Foxtrot"), the acclaimed "Zootopia" has had family audiences all to itself.

"With the marketplace loaded with R-rated fare, if you're a family with kids, the only game in town right now is 'Zootopia,'" said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore.

Megan Colligan, head of distribution and marketing for Paramount Pictures, said the sly, cryptic campaign got people talking about a movie that revealed little except its two stars (John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in a bunker.

"From a marketing level, it's a challenge when a movie takes place in a relatively enclosed space and you're promising but not showing a bigger final act," Colligan said.