‘Captain America’ faces new ‘Neighbors’ and ‘Angry Birds’ at box office

A furious flock of birds and Seth Rogen will try to move into Captain America’s neighborhood this weekend at the box office.

“Captain America: Civil War,” the latest superhero adventure from Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios, has easily topped the charts for two straight weekends.

But the comic book mashup will face potentially strong new rivals this week, including Sony Pictures and Rovio Entertainment’s “The Angry Birds Movie” and Universal Pictures’ “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.”

“Civil War” is expected to gross $30 million to $35 million Friday through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada as it continues its stellar run. It is all but certain to cross the $1-billion global box office benchmark this week. Through Monday, the film has taken in $957 million worldwide, including $300 million domestically.

Among the crop of newcomers, “The Angry Birds Movie” may have the best chance to steal the top spot from “Civil War.” The $73-million, PG-rated animated feature is expected to gross roughly $40 million in the U.S. and Canada through Sunday, according to people who have reviewed pre-release audience surveys.

Rovio, the Finnish video game company that first released the “Angry Birds” mobile app in 2009, is covering the production and marketing costs for the movie, minimizing the risk for Sony, which is handling distribution.

Yet analysts say “Neighbors 2,” the sequel to Universal’s Seth Rogen-Rose Byrne hit from 2014, is likely to make a strong showing as well. The R-rated comedy is expected to rake in $35 million in ticket sales this weekend.

Though that would be less than the $49 million the first “Neighbors” hauled in its opening weekend, it would represent a solid start nonetheless for a film that cost $35 million to make.

The first “Neighbors,” in which Rogen and Byrne played a couple navigating parenthood while battling a fraternity led by Zac Efron, amassed $150 million domestically and $120 million internationally for a global total of $270 million.

Rogen, Byrne and Efron reprise their roles for the follow-up, in which the couple this time face off with a sorority, led by series newcomer Chloë Grace Moretz, that moves in next door.

Comedy sequels are often a gamble, as evidenced by flops such as “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” and “Zoolander 2,” but the studio hopes the feminine focus, relatively positive reviews and the return of director Nicholas Stoller will help draw crowds.

The raunchy movie will have some competition from another R-rated comedy coming to theaters this weekend: Warner Bros.’s “The Nice Guys,” a noir-style thriller directed and co-written by “Lethal Weapon” writer Shane Black.

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling star as a pair of detectives who uncover a vast conspiracy while investigating the death of porn star in Los Angeles.

The movie, which has generated mostly strong reviews so far, is expected to take in about $10 million in ticket sales during its first weekend. Joel Silver, producer of “The Matrix” and “V for Vendetta,” produced “The Nice Guys,” for which Warner Bros. acquired the domestic distribution rights in 2014.

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder