“Pitch Perfect 2″ hit all the right notes at the box office, snagging first place on the charts with a smashing $70.3 million debut despite fierce competition from “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

“Mad Max: Fury Road” also put up strong numbers, racking up $44.4 million across 3,702 locations. The Warner Bros. release capitalized on rapturous critical notices with some reviewers tossing around words like “genius” and “masterpiece.”

“It’s a film where there’s a lot of applause at the end of the movie,” said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. domestic distribution chief. “A lot of people coming to the movie went purely on the reviews. The conversation about it is so strong about what an incredible ride this is that it’s going to propel us right into the meat of the summer.”

“Mad Max: Fury Road” needed the critical notices, because three decades separated chapters in the apocalyptic franchise and original star Mel Gibson aged out of the role/had one intemperate outburst too many and had to be replaced by Tom Hardy. Moreover, the film carries an R-rating which prevents teenagers from attending the picture without a parent or guardian, potentially limiting its audience.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” has much more ground to make up before it pushes into profitable terrain. “Pitch Perfect 2″ cost a modest $29 million to produce, while “Mad Max: Fury Road” carries a $150 million price tag.