Studio Weekend Estimates: ‘Fate of the Furious’ Goes Into Second Gear w/ $38.4 Million, Beating Five Newcomers

Monday Update: Universal’s The Fate of the Furious said “See you again” to the top of the box office this weekend at $38.4 million, racing to a second frame as five new wide releases all debuted below $5 million.

This installment was guaranteed the top spot this weekend after debuting to $98.1 million domestically last frame, en route to a new record for largest global weekend of all time. The new competitors this frame were all mid-to-low-budget, intended to tide over audiences during the several weeks prior to the summer blockbuster season beginning in earnest on May 5.

Those five new films were: Disney’s nature documentary Born in China in sixth place with $4.7 million, Warner Bros.’ thriller Unforgettable in seventh with $4.7 million, Open Road’s historical drama The Promise in ninth with $4.0 million, and A24’s action comedy Free Fire in a distant 17th with less than $1 million.

Sunday’s fuller analysis of studio weekend estimates is below, after the table of weekend actuals.

Weekend Actuals for Friday, April 21 – Sunday, April 23, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Fate of the Furious $38,408,415 -61% 4,329 19 $8,872 $163,304,635 2 Universal
2 The Boss Baby $12,712,144 -21% 3,697 -46 $3,439 $136,954,014 4 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
3 Beauty and the Beast $9,662,645 -29% 3,315 -277 $2,915 $470,787,029 6 Disney
4 Going in Style $4,910,895 -22% 3,038 -38 $1,616 $31,671,738 3 Warner Bros. / New Line
5 Smurfs: The Lost Village $4,880,377 -27% 2,737 -873 $1,783 $33,418,362 3 Sony / Columbia
6 Born in China $4,790,367 1,508 $3,177 $4,790,367 1 Disneynature
7 Unforgettable $4,785,431 2,417 $1,980 $4,785,431 1 Warner Bros.
8 Gifted $4,558,508 48% 1,986 840 $2,295 $10,773,300 3 Fox Searchlight
9 The Promise $4,095,718 2,251 $1,820 $4,095,718 1 Open Road
10 Phoenix Forgotten $1,816,499 1,633 $1,112 $1,816,499 1 Cinelou Films
11 The Case For Christ $1,584,587 -43% 1,247 -139 $1,271 $11,361,296 3 Pure Flix
12 Kong: Skull Island $1,491,445 -45% 1,203 -815 $1,240 $163,915,391 7 Warner Bros.
13 The Zookeeper’s Wife $1,398,325 -31% 1,033 -24 $1,354 $13,162,475 4 Focus Features
14 Power Rangers $1,365,550 -51% 1,292 -879 $1,057 $83,052,602 5 Lionsgate
15 Free Fire $994,430 1,070 $929 $994,430 1 A24

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Lost City of Z $2,121,540 1826% 614 610 $3,455 $2,270,953 2 Amazon Studios / Bleecker Street
2 Get Out $1,668,555 -44% 965 -459 $1,729 $170,306,700 9 Universal
3 Logan $972,143 -50% 754 -661 $1,289 $223,400,405 8 Fox
4 Ghost in the Shell $883,253 -64% 913 -1222 $967 $39,114,757 4 Paramount / DreamWorks
5 Colossal $579,389 28% 224 126 $2,587 $1,352,493 3 Neon
6 Their Finest $533,013 54% 176 124 $3,028 $1,117,347 3 STX Entertainment
7 Life (2017) $448,209 -29% 730 125 $614 $29,321,719 5 Sony / Columbia
8 The LEGO Batman Movie $346,476 -8% 291 -53 $1,191 $174,319,215 11 Warner Bros.
9 Your Name. $336,855 -54% 168 -124 $2,005 $4,074,629 3 FUNimation Entertainment
10 The Shack $276,259 -58% 374 -674 $739 $56,706,948 8 Lionsgate / Summit
11 Hidden Figures $183,793 19% 160 -34 $1,149 $168,831,307 18 Fox
12 CHiPs $162,596 -40% 245 -148 $664 $18,176,244 5 Warner Bros.
13 Split $138,080 -51% 119 -9 $1,160 $137,991,460 14 Universal
14 John Wick: Chapter 2 $124,128 -24% 181 -27 $686 $91,970,516 11 Lionsgate / Summit
15 La La Land $98,594 -6% 148 -71 $666 $151,058,124 20 Lionsgate / Summit
16 T2: Trainspotting $78,876 -66% 160 -171 $493 $2,198,746 8 Sony
17 A Dog’s Purpose $75,605 -19% 122 -27 $620 $64,134,655 13 Universal

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer $124,125 25% 18 13 $6,896 $259,560 2 Sony Pictures Classics
2 Tommy’s Honour $79,511 -62% 89 -78 $893 $410,616 2 Roadside Attractions
3 Frantz $71,980 -48% 72 -34 $1,000 $722,587 6 Music Box Films
4 A Quiet Passion $70,473 54% 13 7 $5,421 $147,890 2 Music Box Films
5 KEDi $50,224 -43% 49 -38 $1,025 $2,460,692 11 Oscilloscope Laboratories
6 Lion $48,238 -41% 82 -65 $588 $51,620,108 22 Weinstein Company
7 Cezanne and I $40,615 39% 29 7 $1,401 $152,497 4 Magnolia Pictures
8 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story $40,126 -40% 71 -50 $565 $532,132,035 19 Disney
9 Truman $34,099 12% 18 9 $1,894 $102,433 3 Filmrise
10 The Belko Experiment $31,740 -56% 47 -41 $675 $9,644,485 6 BH Tilt
11 Citizen Jane: Battle for the City $31,451 2 $15,726 $31,451 1 IFC Films
12 Sing (2016) $30,525 -51% 89 -43 $343 $270,282,845 18 Universal
13 I am Not Your Negro $28,503 -10% 22 -5 $1,296 $7,014,658 12 Magnolia Pictures
14 Before I Fall $23,747 4% 70 0 $339 $12,230,741 8 Open Road
15 Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary $22,960 38% 3 2 $7,653 $49,456 2 Abramorama
16 Personal Shopper $21,137 -71% 37 -48 $571 $1,229,599 7 IFC Films
17 Graduation $20,271 13% 15 8 $1,351 $67,178 3 IFC Films / Sundance Selects
18 Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent $20,268 2 $10,134 $20,268 1 The Orchard
19 Moana $17,799 -46% 37 -28 $481 $248,752,120 22 Disney
20 A United Kingdom $16,667 -12% 25 -6 $667 $3,856,854 11 Fox Searchlight
21 Spark: A Space Tail $14,838 -87% 85 -280 $175 $190,511 2 Open Road Films
22 Raw $13,080 -44% 17 -15 $769 $486,849 7 Focus World
23 Donnie Darko (15th Anniversary Re-Release) $12,944 4 $3,236 $157,364 4 Arrow Films
24 The Devotion of Suspect X $12,592 -70% 9 -12 $1,399 $686,435 4 China Lion Films
25 David Lynch: The Art Life $11,013 -26% 7 0 $1,573 $72,701 4 Janus
26 After the Storm $10,337 -59% 21 -17 $492 $224,207 6 Film Movement
27 My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea $9,124 -33% 11 8 $829 $28,960 2 GKIDS
28 The Prison $8,382 -25% 2 0 $4,191 $202,812 4 Well Go USA
29 The Red Turtle $7,976 -3% 14 -1 $570 $897,060 14 Sony Pictures Classics
30 Moonlight (2016) $7,880 -17% 12 0 $657 $27,842,738 27 A24
31 Slack Bay $6,696 2 $3,348 $11,410 1 Kino Lorber Films
32 Alive and Kicking $6,692 98% 7 2 $956 $34,067 3 Magnolia Pictures
33 Land of Mine $5,802 -66% 14 -12 $414 $415,930 11 Sony Pictures Classics
34 Toni Erdmann $3,960 -17% 10 4 $396 $1,466,232 18 Sony Pictures Classics
35 Finding Oscar $3,927 66% 4 3 $982 $7,609 2 FilmRise
36 Julieta $3,820 -15% 7 1 $546 $1,483,417 18 Sony Pictures Classics
37 20th Century Women $3,675 37% 7 0 $525 $5,660,167 17 A24
38 The Transfiguration $3,023 128% 3 2 $1,008 $12,512 3 Strand Releasing
39 Neruda $2,874 -66% 6 -8 $479 $932,432 19 The Orchard
40 All These Sleepless Nights $2,494 -39% 4 -1 $624 $16,577 3 The Orchard
41 Glory $2,222 -40% 1 -1 $2,222 $9,010 2 Film Movement
42 The Founder $1,859 -29% 8 -2 $232 $12,785,093 14 Weinstein Company
43 The Lure $1,717 59% 1 0 $1,717 $96,570 12 Janus
44 The Eagle Huntress $1,467 -63% 3 -4 $489 $3,165,310 25 Sony Pictures Classics
45 SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock $1,310 -19% 2 1 $655 $14,037 3 Magnolia Pictures
46 Swept Away (1974) $1,236 22% 1 0 $1,236 $2,247 2 Kino Lorber
47 Seven Beauties (1975) $1,095 -29% 1 0 $1,095 $2,631 2 Kino Lorber
48 The Penguin Counters $976 1 $976 $976 1 First Run Features
49 Behind the White Glasses $900 1 $900 $900 1 Kino Lorber
50 Donald Cried $647 -51% 7 -2 $92 $60,469 8 The Orchard
51 A Woman, A Part $621 -83% 1 -1 $621 $21,686 5 Strand Releasing
52 Lovesong $564 16% 3 2 $188 $10,545 10 Strand Releasing
53 Staying Vertical $452 1 $452 $11,747 14 Strand Releasing
54 Contemporary Color $433 -15% 2 1 $217 $15,275 8 Oscilloscope Laboratories
55 Manchester By the Sea $418 -42% 2 0 $209 $47,695,120 23 Roadside / Amazon
56 Tim Timmerman, Hope of America $360 -79% 1 0 $360 $97,505 8 Purdie Distribution
57 Pelle the Conqueror (2017 Re-release) $329 2 $165 $9,567 9 Film Movement
58 The Levelling $78 1 $78 $2,831 5 Monterey Media

Sunday Update: Universal’s The Fate of the Furious said “See you again” to the top of the box office this weekend at $38.7 million, racing to a second frame as five new wide releases all debuted below $6 million.

The car-heavy action sequel fell an estimated 61.1 percent, about in line with the second-weekend declines for previous installments: 59.5 percent for Furious 7, 63.9 percent for Fast & Furious 6, and 62.4 percent for Fast Five.

This installment was guaranteed the top spot this weekend after debuting to $98.1 million domestically last frame, en route to a new record for largest global weekend of all time. The new competitors this frame were all mid-to-low-budget, intended to tide over audiences during the several weeks prior to the summer blockbuster season beginning in earnest on May 5.

With $163.5 million to date, Fate is running behind the two previous installments through the same point: 34.9 percent behind the $251.5 million for Furious 7, and 4.3 percent behind the $171.0 million for Fast & Furious 6. However, those domestic numbers conceal the fact that Fate is running equal to or ahead of all its predecessors and setting records with its overseas and global numbers. (More in the ‘Overseas Update’ section below.)

Among the five new films debuting in wide release this weekend, none managed to crack the top three at the box office. Fox’s animated The Boss Baby took second place again with an estimated 20.3 percent decline — by far its mildest drop yet — to $12.7 million. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast dipped an estimated 27.2 percent to $9.9 million. With $471.0 million banked to date domestically, it rises to become the 94th-highest grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation, and cracks the top 10 at #10 unadjusted.

The best-performing of the five new wide releases was Disney’s nature documentary Born in China, coming in fourth with an estimated $5.1 million. Narrated by John Krasinski and focusing on pandas, Born only earned the fifth-best opening of the seven Disneynature brand documentaries released on Earth Day almost every year since 2009. However this opening does represent something of a return to form, as the two lowest-debuting installments had been the two previous ones, Bears and Monkey Kingdom.

Next among the new openers was Warner Bros.’ Unforgettable. The R-rated thriller starring Katherine Heigl and Rosario Dawson started in seventh place with an estimated $4.8 million. The film earned a ‘C’ average CinemaScore from audiences. While it came in far below similar releases including The Boy Next Door and When the Bough Breaks, it was about in line with the $4.2 million start of last year’s The Perfect Match.

Open Road’s The Promise began in ninth place with an estimated $4.0 million. The historical drama starring Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, and Angela Sarafyan was unable to overcome weak reviews, including a 45 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Cinelou Films’ found-footage horror movie Phoenix Forgotten began in 11th place with an estimated $2.0 million. 

A24’s Free Fire began in 17th place with an estimated $1.0 million, although cracking the top 10 would have been difficult when debuting in only 1,070 theaters. The action comedy starring Brie Larson and Armie Hammer prompted the studio to include alongside their weekend estimates the message, “While disappointed with this weekend’s results, we believe it will have a long life ahead.” 

The top 10 films this weekend earned an estimated $91.9 million total. That’s 41.0 percent below the $155.8 million earned by the top 10 last weekend. It’s also 44.2 percent below the $165.0 million earned by the top 10 on this weekend last year, when The Jungle Book led with $103.2 million.

Overseas Update:

Last weekend, Fate of the Furious broke the records for both largest overseas weekend with $441.1 million and global weekend with $539.9 million. This weekend, it dropped 62.3 percent overseas but still earned a massive haul with $163.4 million overseas in 65 markets. To put that into perspective, Fate‘s second overseas weekend is larger than almost any other film’s opening overseas weekend.

Leading the way was China, where Fate debuted with a record $184.9 million last weekend. This weekend it dropped an estimated 68.3 percent there to $58.5 million, still more than enough to command the Chinese box office. With $318.9 million to date in China, amazingly it’s already the second-highest grossing U.S. film in China of all time, surpassing Transformers: Age of Extinction on Sunday for second place. It now only trails previous installment Furious 7 with $390.9 million, a number it may very well surpass for the new Chinese record, depending on how steeply it drops in that market from here.

Fate has now earned $744.8 million overseas and $908.4 million globally, making it a sure thing to surpass $1 billion worldwide, most likely sometime later this week. It currently stands as the 17th-highest grossing film overseas of all time and 43rd-highest globally. Previous installment Furious 7 stands at 3rd- and 6th-highest on those measures, respectively. Though not impossible, it will be difficult for Fate to match its predecessor’s astounding numbers, even as it beat its predecessor in its opening weekend.

Studio Weekend Estimates for Friday, April 21 – Sunday, April 23, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Fate of the Furious $38,700,000 -61% 4,329 19 $8,940 $163,596,220 2 Universal
2 The Boss Baby $12,750,000 -20% 3,697 -46 $3,449 $136,991,870 4 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
3 Beauty and the Beast $9,973,000 -27% 3,315 -277 $3,008 $471,097,384 6 Disney
4 Born in China $5,147,000 1,508 $3,413 $5,147,000 1 Disneynature
5 Going in Style $5,005,000 -20% 3,038 -38 $1,647 $31,765,843 3 Warner Bros. / New Line
6 Smurfs: The Lost Village $4,850,000 -28% 2,737 -873 $1,772 $33,387,985 3 Sony / Columbia
7 Unforgettable $4,805,000 2,417 $1,988 $4,805,000 1 Warner Bros.
8 Gifted $4,500,000 46% 1,986 840 $2,266 $10,714,792 3 Fox Searchlight
9 The Promise $4,064,860 2,251 $1,806 $4,064,860 1 Open Road
10 Phoenix Forgotten $2,000,000 1,633 $1,225 $2,000,000 1 Cinelou Films
11 The Case For Christ $1,580,000 -43% 1,247 -139 $1,267 $11,356,709 3 Pure Flix
12 Kong: Skull Island $1,510,000 -44% 1,203 -815 $1,255 $163,933,946 7 Warner Bros.
13 The Zookeeper’s Wife $1,472,000 -27% 1,029 -28 $1,431 $13,236,150 4 Focus Features
14 Power Rangers $1,380,000 -51% 1,292 -879 $1,068 $83,067,052 5 Lionsgate
15 Free Fire $1,039,612 1,070 $972 $1,039,612 1 A24

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Lost City of Z $2,147,379 1849% 614 610 $3,497 $2,296,792 2 Amazon Studios / Bleecker Street
2 Get Out $1,700,000 -43% 965 -459 $1,762 $170,338,145 9 Universal
3 Logan $950,000 -51% 754 -661 $1,260 $223,378,262 8 Fox
4 Ghost in the Shell $900,000 -63% 913 -1222 $986 $39,131,504 4 Paramount / DreamWorks
5 Colossal $584,461 29% 224 126 $2,609 $1,357,565 3 Neon
6 Their Finest $555,000 60% 176 124 $3,153 $1,139,334 3 STX Entertainment
7 Life (2017) $475,000 -25% 730 125 $651 $29,348,510 5 Sony / Columbia
8 The Shack $275,000 -58% 374 -674 $735 $56,705,689 8 Lionsgate / Summit
9 Hidden Figures $185,000 19% 160 -34 $1,156 $168,832,514 18 Fox
10 Split $122,615 -56% 119 -9 $1,030 $137,975,995 14 Universal
11 John Wick: Chapter 2 $111,000 -32% 181 -27 $613 $91,957,388 11 Lionsgate / Summit
12 La La Land $88,000 -16% 148 -71 $595 $151,047,530 20 Lionsgate / Summit
13 T2: Trainspotting $80,000 -66% 160 -171 $500 $2,199,870 8 Sony
14 A Dog’s Purpose $73,765 -21% 122 -27 $605 $64,132,815 13 Universal

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer $136,818 38% 18 13 $7,601 $272,253 2 Sony Pictures Classics
2 Tommy’s Honour $75,500 -64% 89 -78 $848 $406,605 2 Roadside Attractions
3 Frantz $55,500 -60% 58 -48 $957 $706,107 6 Music Box Films
4 KEDi $51,000 -42% 48 -39 $1,063 $2,461,468 11 Oscilloscope Laboratories
5 Lion $49,600 -40% 82 -65 $605 $51,621,470 22 Weinstein Company
6 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story $41,000 -39% 71 -50 $577 $532,132,909 19 Disney
7 Truman $40,000 31% 18 9 $2,222 $109,579 3 Filmrise
8 Citizen Jane: Battle for the City $33,760 2 $16,880 $33,760 1 IFC Films
9 The Belko Experiment $32,275 -55% 47 -41 $687 $9,645,020 6 BH Tilt
10 Sing (2016) $29,105 -53% 89 -43 $327 $270,281,425 18 Universal
11 Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent $24,068 2 $12,034 $24,068 1 The Orchard
12 Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary $23,989 44% 3 2 $7,996 $50,485 2 Abramorama
13 Before I Fall $23,959 5% 70 0 $342 $12,230,953 8 Open Road
14 Moana $20,000 -40% 37 -28 $541 $248,754,321 22 Disney
15 Graduation $20,000 11% 14 7 $1,429 $66,907 3 IFC Films / Sundance Selects
16 Personal Shopper $17,160 -76% 33 -52 $520 $1,225,622 7 IFC Films
17 Raw $12,065 -48% 17 -15 $710 $485,834 7 Focus World
18 Spark: A Space Tail $11,713 -90% 85 -280 $138 $187,386 2 Open Road Films
19 I Called Him Morgan $8,544 9 $949 $8,544 5 Submarine Deluxe
20 Finding Oscar $4,000 69% 4 3 $1,000 $7,682 2 FilmRise
21 All These Sleepless Nights $3,231 -22% 4 -1 $808 $17,314 3 The Orchard
22 Neruda $2,753 -68% 6 -8 $459 $932,311 19 The Orchard
23 Donald Cried $994 -25% 7 -2 $142 $60,816 8 The Orchard
24 Tim Timmerman, Hope of America $280 -84% 1 0 $280 $280 8 Purdie Distribution