After this weekend, if my name is M Night Shyamalan, I would probably be looking to take a break from directing big budget films for a long time. Meanwhile, Fast & Furious fans continue to make the sixth instalment a huge hit. Here’s what went down:
Fast & Furious 6 held onto the top spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row, bringing in a stellar $34 million to raise it’s total to $169.8 million. Even though it suffered a 64% decline week to week, there’s no question that this franchise still has long legs, appealing to new and old fans alike.
Find out how the rest of the weekend turned out after the jump!
Debuting in second with $27.5 was the magic based heist film Now You See Me. The film performed on the higher end of pundits estimates, so credit has to go to the marketing and the enticing trailers for bringing in a decent crowd for a genre (magic) that doesn’t particularly do well in theatres.
And then there’s After Earth, the M Night Shyamalan directed, Will Smith and Jaden Smith vanity project. Reviews were absolutely horrible for this movie, which could only muster up a $26.5 debut on a budget of $130 million. Here’s the thing – when various critics are citing Battlefield: Earth in comparison to After Earth, you know you have a disaster on your hands. Sony will have to depend on overseas grosses to somehow make this film look good, because it is a complete bomb in North America.
As for the rest of the top five, Epic hit fourth place with $16 million, while Star Trek Into Darkness closed things out in fifth with $15.2 million. If you’re looking for The Hangover Part III, that one dropped to number six, and has yet to cross the $100 million mark.
So, to recap, here were our predictions:
1) Fast & Furious 6 – $42 million
2) After Earth – $32 million
3) Now You See Me – $28 million
4) Star Trek Into Darkness – $20 million
5) Epic – $19.5 million
And here’s how the weekend turned out:
1) Fast & Furious 6 – $34 million
2) Now You See Me – $27.5 million
3) After Earth – $26.5 million
4) Epic – $16 million
5) Star Trek Into Darkness – $15.2 million
Next weekend sees the release of The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions!
