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Edwin Davies: This is very impressive given the long gap between films and the general consensus that the SpongeBob show has slipped in terms of quality over the years. That should have set the film up for an at best modest performance, but instead it did very well in terms of previous February openers and compared to the original film.

For me, the main reasons for this success can in part be attributed to a lack of options for families since Paddington came out last month, the addition of 3D screenings, which obviously adds a little something extra onto the grosses, and the emphasis on live-action/3D segments, which promised something that viewers haven't seen SpongeBob do before. Even if that is a relatively small part of the film, the novelty of it clearly made it standout.

The enduring appeal of the character and the TV show shouldn't be discounted in this success either. It's perhaps not the creative and commercial powerhouse that it was in its early years, but it's been around so long that its original counter-cultural appeals (i.e. children and, uh, recreationally medicated adults) has become cross-generational, in that someone watching the new film could have discovered the show as a child, outgrown it, then rediscovered it as an adult. Even though SpongeBob feels like a character that is still contemporary because the show is still on the air, I think there is a touch of nostalgia to it as well for the people who outgrew it, and may have decided to come out in addition to the many, many families who showed up this weekend.

Ryan Kyle: I have to agree with the consensus that this is a fantastic opening. Adjusting the original opening for a decade worth of inflation and 3D surcharges, the audience size is almost equivalent, if not slightly greater this go around, which is a true feat. SpongeBob, like The LEGO Movie, appeals to both young boys and girls and has the show's signature irreverent humor to appeal to the audience who saw the first film, but are a decade older now.

Also, SpongeBob is a rare franchise that like The Simpsons is arguably way past its prime, yet is still airing original episodes so a new audience can find the characters as the initial audience moves on; bringing everyone back together when it gets event-ized as a movie. Unlike other family franchises, people seem to never be too old to enjoy SpongeBob.

With a marketplace lacking any appealing comedies and family options, SpongeBob fit the bill for everyone this weekend.

David Mumpower: What the producers of SpongeBob did that hasn't been celebrated enough by the media is find a creative way to refresh a dying concept. Like most people who lived through the '90s, I adored the television show, but the same is true of, say, Mr. Peabody and Sherman. The difference between the projects is that the latter film offered a new iteration of the same old thing. SpongeBob, on the other hand, cleverly re-imagined the concept in a way that felt organic rather than calculated. I found the first trailer absolutely delightful and have been expecting a blockbuster performance ever since. Even so, the sheer volume of this debut is spectacular and stunning.

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