The Fate of the Furious was the big winner at the box office this weekend with a $100 million opening here in the States. We’re not surprised — it’s a really fun movie. However, the real story is happening around the world where the eighth film in the Fast franchise set an enormous record. The Fate of the Furious has beaten Jurassic World with the largest international opening of all time. Add its domestic total to that, and it also claims the biggest worldwide opening ever. The total damage? $532.5 million. WOW.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the importance of foreign markets for Hollywood movies, and the success of F8 proves that the blockbuster system should be about much more than domestic demand.
It’ll be interesting to see how the franchise evolves after this, especially if the rumors are true about Vin Diesel’s place in the cast being on shaky ground. After this big of a win, it might be best for him to go out on top. Or maybe Universal will coax him back with an even fatter paycheck. We’ll see! Let’s just hope the franchise lives long enough to deliver the eventual sequel set in space.
Here’s the rest of the box office breakdown…
The Numbers Game
Each week, I will guess how much wide-release films will be making on their opening weekend. My estimates come from my heart and my gut. You’d think I’d use my brain, but that makes far too much sense.
Last Week:
Fate of the Furious
My Guess: $150,000,000
Actual: $100,181,640
Result: I got way too enthusiastic after my previous week of pessimism. Back to looking at the glass half empty.
This week:
Unforgettable
I have a soft spot for erotic/romantic thrillers like Basic Instinct, so Unforgettable is a movie that has me in its corner (actually, that’s probably a weakness). It will be interesting to see how strongly the intended demographic will support a movie like this. It’s not based on any pre-existing property so that’s probably going to hurt it, but the star power of two strong female actresses and a desire for some audiences to get away from the testosterone atom bomb that is Fate of the Furious could give this some wings.
My guess: $20,000,000
Free Fire
Director Ben Wheatley is not known for being the most accessible director – A Field in England and High-Rise prove that – Free Fire is far and above his most crowd-pleasing effort. Our own Chris Tilly dug it (his review) and I dug it even more, but it’s not getting quite the number of screens (or marketing push) that it deserves. If you can, go see it. I’m afraid it will get buried in the overkill of this weekend along with the towering giant of Fate of the Furious.
My guess: $9,000,000
Born in China
Another Disney nature doc hits the screens. This time, you can expect lots of cuddly panda footage. These always do fine but are never there to break the bank. Stay home and show your kids some Planet Earth instead.
My guess: $5,000,000
Phoenix Forgotten
Considering that I had to research this found footage horror movie to see what it is, that should say something about the marketing of this movie. There has been little to nothing in terms of awareness and the nonsensical title won’t draw in people. This is going to die on the vine.
My guess: $4,000,000
The Promise
This looks like it would be some atypical Oscar bait but releasing it in this timeframe doesn’t bode well for its chances. The subject matter is interesting and inspiring, and the cast is clearly excellent, but once again we need to take marketing into account. There hasn’t been a big push for this film and it’s releasing to nearly no fanfare. Too bad. This looks like it might be worth checking out.
My guess: $1,000,000
See you next week, box office buddies!
Source: Box Office Mojo
