‘Lego Batman Movie’ Leads Domestic Box Office; ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Dominates Internationally

It's indeed the battle of the sequels this Valentines' Day weekend, as Warner Bros.' "Lego Batman Movie" takes the lead on the box office race with $55.6 million domestically. It is closely followed by Universal's "Fifty Shades Darker", earning $46.8 million, while Summit Entertainment's "John Wick: Chapter 2" nabs the third spot with $30 million.

On the other hand, the sequel to 2015's "Fifty Shades of Grey" leads the pack on the global market, as the Hollywood Reporter reported a $100.1 million return for the movie. "Lego Batman Movie" is on distant second with an opening weekend of $37 million internationally, while "John Wick 2" is still on third place with $10.6 million.

Despite strong ticket sales for the movies, the "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Lego Batman Movie" still performed below expectations. 2014's "The Lego Movie" opened with a $69 million weekend, and "Fifty Shades of Grey" earned $85 million in domestic ticket sales on its first weekend, according to USA Today. "John Wick 2", however, outdid the first movie, making more than double of its $14.4 million opening weekend.

Warner Bros. points out to bad weather as a contributing factor to the slightly lower sales of "Lego Batman Movie", as the spinoff title was projected to earn at least $60-$70 million for its first weekend. The East Coast has been reportedly hit with tough weather recently, with snowstorms and blizzards with the Northeast area particularly affected by the weather.

"Lego Batman Movie" tackles more than just fighting crime on its outing, as it also deals with Batman's relationships. Directed by Chris McKay, "Lego Batman Movie" features the voices of Will Arnett as Batman, Michael Cera as Dick Greyson/Robin, Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and Zack Galifianakis as Joker, among others.

"Lego Batman Movie" will be joined by another Lego movie this year. "Lego Ninjago Movie" is coming out on September 2017.