Fate of the Furious passes $1B, Guardians 2 opens to $101M internationally
Universal Pictures‘ The Fate of the Furious topped the domestic box office for a third-straight weekend with $19.4 million to bring its North American total to $192.7 million. The big story, however, is the eighth film’s international take. The movie has now reached $867.6 million overseas for a global total of $1.06 billion. In 2015, Furious 7 earned $353 million in North America and $1.163 billion internationally, for a worldwide total of $1.516 billion. The F. Gary Gray-directed The Fate of the Furious, made for $250 million, stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren.
While North American moviegoers will have to wait until Thursday evening (May 4) for the release of Marvel‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the James Gunn sequel got off to an international start with $101.2 million from 37 markets. Disney estimates that this opening is +57% ahead of the original Guardians of the Galaxy, +50% ahead of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and +19% ahead of Thor: The Dark World when comparing the same territories. $5 million of the international take came from 176 IMAX screens in 35 markets. Next weekend, the sequel will also open in Korea, Russia, China, Israel, Croatia, Czech Rep, Greece, Hungary, Lebanon, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Poland, South Africa, India and Argentina. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Michael Rosenbaum, Kurt Russell, and Sylvester Stallone.
The biggest domestic newcomer was expected to be STXfilms and EuroCorp’s The Circle, but that thriller ended up in fourth place behind Pantelion Films’ How to be a Latin Lover and Great India Films’ Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. In second place, How to be a Latin Lover earned $12 million from 1,118 theaters, an average of $10,750 per theater, while Baahubali 2: The Conclusion took in $10.1 million from just 425 theaters, an average of $23,855 per location.
The Circle, starring Emma Watson, Tom Hanks and John Boyega, debuted with just $9.3 million from 3,163 theaters, an average of $2,947. James Ponsoldt directed the film, which was made for about $18 million.
DreamWorks Animation’s The Boss Baby rounded out the top five with an additional $9 million its fifth weekend to push its gross to $148.5 million. Internationally, the film added $15.5 million from 72 markets to push its total to $248 million and worldwide sum to $396.5 million. Released by 20th Century Fox and directed by Tom McGrath (Madagascar), the comedy features the voices of Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, and Miles Bakshi.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast dropped to sixth place its seventh weekend and grossed $6.4 million. Internationally, the live-action adaptation grossed $17.2 million this weekend. This means the film has now earned $480.1 million in North America and $662.4 million overseas for a worldwide total of $1.142 billion, making it the 13th highest-grossing movie of all-time worldwide. Directed by Bill Condon, the $160 million film stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Hattie Morahan, Nathan Mack, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson.