Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment's 'Dolphin Tale 2' debuted at number two at the box office with $4.3 million, behind Idris Elba's thriller 'No Good Deed.'

The modest earnings are less than what was projected, and if the trend continues, the movie will likely earn between $16 and $17 million over the weekend.

The original 'Dolphin Tale' flick premiered three years ago with $19.2 million in ticket sales and amassed a total of $95.4 million worldwide.

The family friendly hit tells a true story of a tailless dolphin, Winter, which has learned how to swim miraculously thanks to a groundbreaking prosthetic tail.

'Dolphin Tale 2' reunites the whole cast led by Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zeuhlsdorff, Austin Storwell and, of course, Winter herself.

"Winter means so much to so many people," Gamble said.

He added, "She's a dolphin and it doesn't take a lot to communicate with a dolphin and connect with them. With Winter, it's a whole new ballpark, because everyone knows her story and everyone can feel a way to connect and to relate to her."

The sequel received mixed reviews from media and industry observers.

Jude Russo of The Crimson wrote, "The entire enterprise is so submerged in utter predictability that there is little redeeming to discuss. The plot is a slurry of non-events that are stitched together to reach the required time for a feature-length film."

Jackie Cooper of Huffington Post has a different take, but feels that a sequel is not needed as the first movie has already articulated the story completely.

"The storyline is one children should enjoy, and it will entertain the adults that accompany them. It is not high drama but it is sufficiently interesting. Supposedly this plot is also based on a true occurrence and that fact also interest," Cooper said.

IMDb gave 'Dolphin Tale 2' a rating of 6.6 out of the perfect score of 10, while Rotten Tomatoes scored the movie 73% out of a possible 100%.