User blog:Ceauntay/Hangover sequel sets new US box office record

'''THE Hangover Part II set a sobering new box office record in its first day open. Early receipts leaked to Deadline today showed that the movie took in $31.6 million in the US Thursday - the most ever for an R-rated comedy.

The previous R-rated comedy record holder was Sex And The City, which opened on a Friday in 2008 with $26.7 million.

If the Hangover pace holds, the movie starring Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis will earn up to $85 million over the three-day weekend, and a whopping $125 million over the five-day Memorial Day holiday, including Thursday.

"It doesn't get much better than this," an executive at producer Warner Bros. told Deadline.

The record-breaking haul came despite generally negative reviews from critics, who were far more enthusiastic about the 2009 original. The sequel earned a 33 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 79 percent for the first.

"I have the sad duty to report I found this more elaborate, play-it-safe sequel far less fresh or funny," reviewer Lou Lumenick wrote in The New York Post.

Also opening this weekend is the animated, PG-rated Kung Fu Panda 2, and film adaptation G-rated True Jackson, VP: The Movie.