Fox/Blue Sky’s imaginative movie about a young girl and a miniature eco-centric forest world, posted solid numbers at the U.S. box office during the four-day Memorial Day weekend. The pic, which is directed by Ice Age helmer Chris Wedge, was the fourth most popular title at the box office, with a $42.6 million opening. The 3-D CG-animated feature opened in 20 additional markets over the weekend, bringing in $23.1 million from a total of 36 territories for an international cume of $44 million and worldwide total of $86.6 million.
Epic is the year’s second big animated release from a major studio, following DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods, which was also released by Fox and has made over $563 million worldwide since its release on March 22.
“I think it’s a fantastic start. We have a four week run before Monsters University opens, and I’m very bullish on where Epic goes,” Fox president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson told Deadline.com.