‘Fast and Furious’ kicks off frenzied holiday weekend
This film publicity image released by Universal Pictures shows Jordana Brewster, left, and Paul Walker in a scene from “Fast & Furious 6.” Moviegoers raced to see “Fast & Furious 6” as it debuted over the holiday weekend, earning the action sequel a massive $98.5 million take, industry estimates showed Sunday. AP PHOTO/UNIVERSAL PICTURES, GILES KEYTE
LOS ANGELES—Moviegoers raced to see “Fast & Furious 6” as it debuted over the holiday weekend, earning the action sequel a massive $98.5 million take, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The latest installment in the action-packed film franchise, starring Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, did earn the top slot at the box office during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, seen as the unofficial start of summer in the United States.
Second place went to the debauched bachelors of “The Hangover Part III,” which got a jump on the weekend by opening on Wednesday, and collected an anticipated $42.4 million from Friday to Sunday, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
Third place went to another sequel, “Star Trek: Into Darkness” which earned $38 million as it fell from first place last week.
“Epic” a 3-D animated family film about a teenage girl who gets miniaturized Thumbelina-size, was fourth with $34.2 million in tickets sold.
Super-hero blockbuster sequel “Iron Man 3,” starring Robert Downey Jr as the title character, took in $19.4 million for the number five spot, while “The Great Gatsby,” Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of the literary classic, was sixth with $13.7 million.
Seventh place was claimed by “Mud,” a coming-of-age story starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, taking in $1.95 million.
“42”—a biopic about trailblazing black baseball star Jackie Robinson—was eighth, with $1.25 million in tickets sold.
The ninth spot went to “The Croods,” a stone-age cartoon, which earned $1.2 million.
Rounding out the top 10 was “Oblivion,” a post-apocalyptic action flick featuring Tom Cruise, which earned $815,000.
