The crew from the Fast & Furious franchise have some pretty nifty wheels, no question. But no amount of nitro-fueled, turbo-charged, high-octane horsepower could help Vin Diesel and company outrace The Purge.
The budget-minded horror/sci-fi film made (ahem) a killing at the box office, parlaying a compelling premise and some virtual marketing magic into an estimated $34.6-million weekend. That’s a record for a non-sequel, R-rated flick, and way more than was needed to pump two-week champ Fast & Furious 6 off the road.
Granted, gunk is bound to collect in almost any movie’s virtual carburetor after a few weeks in the multiplex.This week, it banked just $19.8 million. Still, no question that F&F has had a dandy run thus far. The movie just vroomed past the $200 million mark for the year (warping past Star Trek Into Darkness en route) and now trails just Iron Man 3 ($394.3 million) and Oz the Great and Powerful ($233.7 million) for 2013’s bragging rights.
Now You See Me, the magically-inclined caper flick, still had a few tricks up its sleeve, pulling another $19.5 million out of its hat for a third-place bow. It was enough to spoil Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s early summer Internship. The comedy collected just $18.1 million in its first week—way more than your typical intern earns, of course, but not much by Hollywood standards.
Epic, Blue Sky’s animated movie, rounds out the Top 5 with a $12.1-million weekend.
As impressive a weekend as it was for The Purge, methinks the horror film should not get too comfortable. The top spot will likely be subject to a purge itself when a certain flyboy in blue tights lands in theaters.
Final figures update: 1. The Purge, $34.1 million; 2. Fast & Furious 6, $19.6 million; 3. Now You See Me, $19 million; 4. The Internship, $17.3 million; 5. Epic, $17.3 million.
Recent Comments