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‘The Hangover Part II’ wakes up to $10.4 million from midnight screenings

Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman
By Amy Kaufman
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Audiences enjoyed a late-night party with the boys of ‘The Hangover.’ The sequel to the surprise 2009 comedy hit opened in 2,600 theaters just after midnight on Thursday and raked in $10.4 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to an estimate from distributor Warner Bros.

That’s a very strong early showing for an R-rated comedy. For instance, ‘Sex and the City 2,’ another R-rated comedy that opened on Memorial Day weekend last year, only took in $3 million in post-midnight screenings.

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Of course, it’s still not as big as movies with huge built-in fan bases such as the ‘Twilight’ and ‘Harry Potter’ series. Last year’s ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ grossed more than $30 million from late-night screenings after midnight on a Wednesday in June 2010, an all-time record. ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,’ which opened in summer 2009, collected $22.2 million from midnight ticket sales.

Typically, grosses from midnight showings indicate strong fan interest in a film. People who have seen pre-release audience surveys believe ‘The Hangover Part II’ could sell between $125 million and $160 million worth of tickets by Monday, a record-breaking figure for an R-rated comedy. Warner has a more conservative estimate of between $90 million and $100 million. If late-night screenings were any indication, however, the studio’s prediction will turn out to be low.

-- Amy Kaufman

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Company Town Blog
Amy Kaufman

Amy Kaufman is a columnist at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes a monthly A-1 column, “For Real With Amy Kaufman.” The series examines the lives of icons, underdogs and rising stars to find out who the people are shaping our culture — for real. Since joining The Times in 2009, she has profiled hundreds of influential figures, including Stevie Nicks, Kevin Hart, Joan Rivers, Michael B. Jordan and Lady Gaga. She also works on investigations and was part of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist team that covered the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set. Her work often shines a light on the darker side of the entertainment business, and she has uncovered misconduct allegations against Randall Emmett, Russell Simmons and Chris D’Elia. In 2018, her book “Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure” became a New York Times bestseller.

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