Five years ago, Warner Bros.’ “The Lego Movie” scored $469 million and praise for its joyous creativity. But the disappointing $34.5 million opening weekend of the “The Lego Movie 2” raises questions about whether Warner Animation Group expanded the “Lego” franchise too quickly.
Don’t let the title fool you: “The Lego Movie 2” is actually the fourth Lego movie. In 2017, Warner Bros. capitalized on the popularity of Will Arnett’s Batman performance with “The Lego Batman Movie.” Seven months later came “The Lego Ninjago Movie.”
While “The Lego Batman Movie” didn’t do as well commercially or critically as “The Lego Movie,” it earned praise as an affectionate send-up and made $311 million worldwide against an $80 million budget.