Sequels to successful animated movies are one of the surest bets in Hollywood these days, and Rio 2 unsurprisingly followed suit. As the only major animated feature available to family audiences between Mr. Peabody & Sherman in March and How To Train Your Dragon 2 in June, it is a foregone conclusion that Rio 2 eclipses its predecessor's $484.6m gross despite being an inferior movie. Sticking with the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach that worked so well with the Ice Age franchise, Blue Sky Studios stick to the template of the first movie a little too closely. The best animated features appeal to audiences of all ages, but Rio 2 is a decidedly by-the-numbers sequel that appeals to its younger target audience, but is painfully lacking in originality and stuffed with an overabundance of forgettable characters and subplots. Rio 2 almost exactly matched the original's domestic opening weekend with $39.3m, a disappointing number for an animated sequel that was only good enough for second place behind box office behemoth Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As the only real option for family audiences throughout April and May, the movie has managed to hold remarkably well and its worldwide total sits just shy of $450m, and it should be able to cross the half-billion mark before How To Train Your Dragon 2 takes away a large percentage of its screens in a couple of weeks.