HOLLYWOOD—Not surprised considering the lackluster flicks opening in theaters over the weekend that “The Fate of the Furious” managed to stay on top at the box-office for the third consecutive weekend. The eighth installment in the franchise managed to add another $19.4 million. The flick has now crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide.
Quite an impressive feat to say the least, I just hoped its numbers domestically could be more impressive. The flick has still yet to cross the $200 million mark, and when you look at a flick like Disney’s live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast” it leaves you scratching your heads. Why was that flick way more popular than “The Fate of the Furious?” Perhaps audiences in America are suffering from a bit of fatigue.
Now a surprise at the box-office was the comedy “How to be a Latin Lover” which landed in second place with an impressive $12 million, after being unleashed on about 1,000 plus theaters. That’s kind of major in the world of cinema people. It seemed the comedy had a much bigger draw to audiences, then the Tom Hanks and Emma Watson semi-thriller “The Circle.”
That was not the only surprise at the box-office, as the Indian film, “Baahubali 2” defied the odds as well landing in third place with about $10 million. It was apparent audiences wanted a different flare in their cinema beyond sequels and the over-the-top action flick. Speaking of “The Circle,” the flick about the ever growing presence of social media and privacy underperformed with a dismal $9.3 million to land in fourth place. Rounding out the top five was “The Boss Baby” with $9 million.
This weekend kicks off the start of the summer movie season as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” explodes into theaters. Numbers for the sequel are expected to top over $150 million, but who knows the flick can open to even larger numbers based on word-of-mouth buzz.
