11:46 am PST 3/8/2021
in
Pamela McClintock
Research firm Screen Engine, which did not release audience figures, found that Amazon’s film debut surpassed that of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ and ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’.
The long-awaited sequel Coming 2 America marked the first opening weekend of any movie released on a streaming service last year, when it debuted on March 5 on Amazon Prime Video, according to Screen Engine / ASI.
The Screen Engine, however, is not allowed to disclose the audience numbers for the films it searches for.
Starring Eddie Murphy, Coming 2 America surpassed the new offering from Paramount +, The SpongeBob movie: Sponge on the Run, according to Screen Engine. The other highlight of the weekend was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, although it cost Disney + another $ 30 to watch the movie (Raya also debuted simultaneously in theaters).
Coming 2 Americathe company’s performance means that it hit the audience at the opening weekend of fellow Amazon Prime Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which debuted last October, and Wonder Woman 1984, which was released over the Christmas weekend on HBO Max.
Directed by Craig Brewer, Coming 2 America – like Borat and Sponge Bob – are among the countless films that have chosen to stream instead of waiting for the box office to recover.
Murphy and Arsenio Hall resume their roles as Prince Akeem of Zamunda and his trusted partner Semmi, who again travels to America – specifically, Queens, New York.
Wesley Snipes, KiKi Layne, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan and more, also star in the sequel to the 1988 comedy blockbuster.
Amazon acquired the movie from Paramount.
“The Zamunda royal family arrived and the public around the world received them with enthusiasm! The debut of Coming 2 America it far exceeded any of our expectations, “Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke said in a statement.