'Turtles' sequel underwhelms, women drive 'Me Before You'
By LINDSEY BAHR, Associated Press
Jun 5, 2016 10:47 AM CDT
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows, from left, Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael in a scene from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows." The movie opened to $35.3 million according to comScore estimates Sunday, June 5, 2016, close to half of what the first film opened...   (Associated Press)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Turtle power isn't all that strong the second time around.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" opened to $35.3 million, according to comScore estimates Sunday — close to half of what the first film opened to in 2014. It's the latest in a string of underwhelming openings for sequels this summer, including "X-Men: Apocalypse," which fell a hefty 66 percent in its second weekend in theaters, earning $22.3 million for a second-place finish.

On the brighter side, the romantic tearjerker "Me Before You" proved again the might of the female audience. The film opened higher than expected with $18.3 million, putting it squarely in third place.

Meanwhile, the Lonely Island mockumentary "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping," earned $4.6 million to take eighth place.