Moms' Night Out, the Sarah Drew/Sean Astin/Patricia Heaton/Trace Adkins team-up, was this week’s second-largest per-screen new release at the box office, scoring a weekend take of $4.9 million across 1,044 screens. Starting the Friday before Mother’s Day, families filled theaters for Moms' Night Out, a wholesome PG standout in a field of the summer’s 15 R-rated comedies, and crowds rose higher on word of mouth.

Exit polls echo audience reactions: 82% of moviegoers (the average is 60%) said they would definitely recommend Moms' Night Out. Among females aged 35-49, Moms' Night Out received an A- CinemaScore.

Moms' Night Out stars Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy), Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings), two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton (The Middle, Everybody Loves Raymond) and country music superstar Trace Adkins (The·Lincoln Lawyer).

“Hollywood is overdue to make movies on a double bottom line,” said Jon Erwin, co-writer and director. “While Moms' Night Out entertains entire families, it’s proving that content can build up families and come out financially profitable.”

Michael Medved, nationally syndicated radio host and movie reviewer, echoed the enthusiasm.

“Moms' Night Out is funny, frisky, fast-moving and filled with first-class performances,” he said. “It's also a surprisingly wise and moving film about the joys and nightmares of parenthood.”

Tara McNamara of Fandango.com called Moms' Night Out “a movie unicorn—something we hope exists, and yet finding one is very, very rare. Most grown women become moms,” she wrote, “so how can it be that Moms' Night Out—a comedy about the lives of good moms—is one of a kind?”

Rotten Tomatoes moviegoers also gave an 86% positive response.

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