‘Despicable Me 2’ tops US box office for a 2nd week

This film file publicity image released by Universal Pictures shows characters Lucy, voiced by Kristen Wiig, left, and Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, in “Despicable Me 2,” which led the US box office for a second consecutive weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday, July 14, 2013. AP PHOTO/UNIVERSAL PICTURES

LOS ANGELES—”Despicable Me 2,” a sequel to the 2010 animated blockbuster, led the US box office for a second consecutive weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The comedy, with Steve Carell voicing villain-turned-doting-father Gru, earned an anticipated $44.8 million between Friday and Sunday, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

If those numbers hold up, the film will have earned $229.2 million since its release earlier this month.

In second place was the sequel “Grownups 2,” about a group of middle aged men who reunite after the death of their basketball coach and spend the summer together reconnecting.

The film, a star vehicle for comedians Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, earned $42.5 million.

The Godzilla-like monsters and skyscraper-sized robots in Benicio del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” made a third-place debut, earning $38.3 million.

Fourth place went to buddy flick “The Heat” starring Sandra Bullock as a talented but haughty FBI agent and Melissa McCarthy as a rough-and-ready Boston cop, with $14 million.

“The Lone Ranger,” starring Johnny Depp as the masked lawman’s iconic sidekick Tonto, fell from second place last week to fifth, with $11 million in tickets sold.

In sixth place was “Monsters University,” a prequel to Pixar’s 2001 hit “Monsters, Inc.,” with $10.6 million.

“World War Z,” starring Brad Pitt as a former UN investigator trying to save the world from a zombie invasion, took in $9.4 million, good enough for seventh place.

Next was Roland Emmerich’s “White House Down,” about a paramilitary group that tries to seize the White House. It garnered $6.2 million for eighth place.

“Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain,” featuring material from a Madison Square Garden performance by the stand-up comedian, earned $5 million, for ninth place.

“Man of Steel,” the Superman reboot starring Henry Cavill, rounded out the top 10, with $4.8 million in ticket sales.