THE Bean Bag Boys, the self-appointed nickname for the trio of best friends in Universal’s “Good Boys,” are conquering much more than sixth grade. They are also leading the domestic box office, exceeding expectations and collecting US$21 million on opening weekend.

“Good Boys,” which screened at 3,204 North American theaters, is a much-needed win for original comedies, a genre that’s been struggling at the box office as of late. The Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-produced movie is the first R-rated funny film to open in first place in three years (since 2016’s “The Boss”), as well as the biggest opening for an original comedy this year.

“The bottom line is the film is absolutely hysterical,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg knocked it out of the park. And [Rogen and Goldberg] are a brand and really own this space with a very difficult genre.”

“Good Boys” saw a strong showing among its core demographic. Men accounted for 52 percent of ticket buyers, while 60 percent were over the age of 25. The movie, starring Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams and Brady Noon, also pulled in diverse crowds. Almost 50 percent of audiences were Caucasian, while 25 percent were Hispanic, 14 percent were African-American, and 8 percent were Asian.

“One of the reasons that made for a terrific weekend is our audience was very ethnically diverse. That lent itself to the overperformance,” Orr added.

“Good Boys,” carrying a US$20 million price tag, also debuted overseas with US$2.1 million for a global start of US$23.1 million.

Universal also took second place with “Hobbs & Shaw.” The “Fast & Furious” spinoff earned US$14.1 million during its third outing, boosting domestic ticket sales to US$133 million. The Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham-led movie has grossed US$437 million worldwide. It launches in China in the coming weekend.

The past weekend’s four other new releases struggled to varying degrees.

Sony’s “The Angry Birds Movie 2,” which got a head start on the weekend by opening Aug. 13, finished with US$16.2 million over the six-day frame. The animated sequel landed in fourth place on box office charts, collecting US$10 million during the traditional weekend. That haul is a steep drop from the first film, based on the once-popular phone app and video game, which scored US$38 million in its inaugural weekend. However, the follow-up has the benefit of better reviews and a smaller production budget compared to the original.

Sony still has a major milestone to celebrate this weekend as “Spider-Man: Far From Home” hits US$1.109 billion globally and passes 2012’s “Skyfall” (US$1.108 billion) to become the studio’s highest-grossing film of all time.

Like “Angry Birds 2,” Entertainment Studio’s shark thriller “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” also lacked the same bite as its predecessor.

The movie opened at No. 6, earning US$9 million from 2,853 locations. The original movie started small with US$11 million but had a long run in theaters, ultimately ending with US$44 million in North America.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. and New Line’s “Blinded by the Light” and Annapurna’s “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” both bombed, landing in 10th and 11th place.

Despite positive reviews, “Blinded by the Light” couldn’t hit the right tune with audiences and debuted with a dismal US$4.5 million from 2,307 screens. Directed by “Bend It Like Beckham” filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, the coming-of-age story follows a British Pakistani teenager whose life is changed when he discovers Bruce Springsteen music. The few moviegoers who did see the film in the past weekend seemed to enjoy it, awarding it with an A- CinemaScore.

“Blinded by the Light” is ending summer on a rocky note for Warner Bros., which missed with the Aug. 10-11 weekend’s mob thriller “The Kitchen” and May’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.                  (SD-Agencies)