Apparently, parents are a bit shrewder about reading reviews than weekend box office prognosticators thought.

Predictions that “The Angry Birds Movie” would earn a typical-for-3D animation $45 million on its opening weekend went by the wayside on Saturday, the most important day for family films for kids. “Angry Birds” fell off from a $44 million pace on set Friday to a $38 million pace by Saturday night. 

Will it fall off more Sunday? Word of mouth is a scary thing. As are negative reviews.

“Neighbors 2” will manage $22 million, a bit of a bump from yesterday’s projections. That’s some consolation for an R-rated comedy that had passable reviews, a proven brand and expectations of $35 million back in the halcyon days of say, Wed.

“The Nice Guys” has to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. A funny, critically endorsed action comedy in the Shane Black “Lethal Weapon/48 Hours” mold, it will hit $11 million on its opening weekend. It didn’t reach a younger audience, and older audiences gave up on Russell Crowe a decade ago. It won’t have legs, because this isn’t “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” Ouch.

Crowe should look for a TV detective show — on cable. Stick a fork in him. Done.

“Money Monster” is enjoying a solid second weekend. “Captain America” slips to #2, not bad after three weeks.

“The Lobster,” the first film from indie darlings A24 that I haven’t cared for, opened a little wider and is doing a robust $16,000 per screen. It’s not “Room” so the ceiling is low for this self-consciously obscure art film.