'The Hangover Part II' Grosses $10.4 Million From Midnight Shows

Todd Phillips’ The Hangover Part II got off to a rip-roaring start in midnight shows, grossing a whopping $10.4 million from roughly 2,600 theaters for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

That's a record for an R-rated film. Previous best was Paranormal Activity 2, which grossed $6 million in midnight runs. The raunchy comedy also did better in midnight shows than recent PG-13 titles Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($4.7 million), Fast Five ($3.8 million) and Thor ($3.3 million).

Today, Hangover tmoves into a total of 3,615 theaters, the widest opening ever for an R-rated title.

Hangover II is expected to be the first movie of 2011 to cross the $100 million mark in its domestic debut. It’s got the advantage of a five-day opening because of the long Memorial Day weekend, coupled by going out on Thursday.

If tracking is right, the sequel could gross as much as $120 million in its five-day launch, though Warner is being more conservative, considering how soft the marketplace has been.

Set in Thailand this time, Hangover II returns Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha in the lead roles, along with Ken Jeong.

Hangover II is also making a major push overseas, opening day-and-date in 40 territories around the globe.