America Still Loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot took the box office by storm this weekend with a $65 million North American debut, prompting the studio to immediately announce a sequel scheduled for June 2016.

Turtles easily took the top domestic spot over the weekend, besting another surprise August hit, Guardians of the Galaxy, the Hollywood Reporter reports. The Jonathan Liebesman–directed hit stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett and William Fichtner, and sees the four heroes in a half-shell emerging from the New York City sewers to save the metropolis from Shredder and his evil Foot Clan.

Nearly half of the audience was under 25 on Friday, and 61% of the attendees were male.

“To know moviegoers are embracing the Turtles with such enthusiasm is everything that we and all our filmmakers have been hoping for,” Paramount chief Brad Grey said in a statement.

Overall, however, revenue is down at the box office 17% this summer, even with Guardians and Turtles shoring up sales.

[THR]