Apparently, both mainstream and indie moviegoers wanted to see sequels and rip-offs over the long Memorial Day weekend. In total, $314 million was earned at the box office, a new record for the holiday.
‘Fast & Furious 6‘ took the top prize, earning $96.7 million over the three-day weekend and $120 million over four days. Not only is this a franchise best, it marks Universal Studios’ best opening of all time. When you add in the two-week international totals, ‘Fast 6’ has already earned $317 million. When the ‘Point Break’ rip-off ‘The Fast and the Furious‘ opened 12 years ago, who knew that it would rise to be so popular?
On the opposite end of the franchise spectrum, the debut of ‘The Hangover Part III‘ was nowhere near its predecessors. After earning $11.7 million during its Thursday opening, the sequel pulled in $41.7 million over the three-day weekend and $51.2 million over the four-days. These numbers are still fantastic, but far below the previous two installments. The first ‘Hangover‘ debuted to $44.9 million and ‘Part II‘ opened on this same weekend two years ago to $85.9 million. Thank heaven ‘Part III’ has already been announced as the final chapter of the Wolfpack’s saga, because this franchise has no more upward momentum.
I figured that the 3D ‘Ferngully’ knock-off ‘Epic’ would trail in third place, but it didn’t even get that far. Last week’s ‘Star Trek into Darkness‘ finished third, almost giving ‘The Hangover’ a run for its money. Over the three-day weekend, ‘Star Trek’ earned $37.2 million. Over the four-day weekend, it earned $47 million, bringing its domestic total to $155.8 million. Internationally, the twelfth ‘Trek’ film has grossed $102.1 million and is expected to make much more when it opens in China and South Korea this weekend.
‘Epic‘ landed in fourth place with a modest $33.5 million (three days) and $42.6 million (four days). Without another family flick opening until ‘Monsters University’ on June 21st, ‘Epic’ has some room to stretch.
Rounding out the Top 5 was the four-week-old ‘Iron Man 3‘. The Marvel superhero flick earned $19.2 million over the three-day weekend and $24.3 million in four days. The iron giant has now grossed $372.4 million domestically and $1.15 billion worldwide.
Finally, on just five screens, the indie sequel ‘Before Midnight‘ pulled in $247,000 over the three-day weekend and $322,000 over four days, which gave it per-screen averages of $49,400 and $64,400 respectively.
Top 10 (3-Day Weekend):
1. ‘Fast & Furious 6’ (Universal) – $96,791,000
2. ‘The Hangover Part III’ (Warner Bros.) – $42,775,000
3. ‘Star Trek into Darkness’ (Paramount) – $37,284,000
4. ‘Epic’ (Fox) – $33,500,000
5. ‘Iron Man 3’ (Buena Vista) – $19,213,000
6. ‘The Great Gatsby’ (Warner Bros.) – $13,620,000
7. ‘Mud’ (Roadside) – $1,928,000
8. ’42’ (Warner Bros.) – $1,270,000
9. ‘The Croods’ (Fox) – $1,220,000
10. ‘Oblivion’ (Universal) – $840,000
Top 10 (4-Day Weekend):
1. ‘Fast & Furious 6’ (Universal) – $120,019,000
2. ‘The Hangover Part III’ (Warner Bros.) – $51,215,000
3. ‘Star Trek into Darkness’ (Paramount) – $47,000,000
4. ‘Epic’ (Fox) – $42,600,000
5. ‘Iron Man 3’ (Buena Vista) – $24,351,000
6. ‘The Great Gatsby’ (Warner Bros.) – $17,020,000
7. ‘Mud’ (Roadside) – $2,427,000
8. ‘The Croods’ (Fox) – $1,615,000
9. ’42’ (Warner Bros.) – $1,607,000
10. ‘Oblivion’ (Universal) – $1,093,000
