This weekend marked the final box office frame of the spring movie season, with Marvel’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2kicking off the summer movie season next weekend. While the first weekend in May traditionally marks the start of summer at the box office, the last weekend in April is generally a quietrun at theaters, and that tradition didn’t change this year. Four newcomers hit theaters this past Friday, but none could come close to dethroningThe Fate of the Furious, which took the top spot for a third weekend in a row with $18.3 million. Which will likely be its last frame at the top. Surprising newcomersBaahubali: The ConclusionandHow to Be a Latin Loverboth over-performed, whileThe CircleandSleightunderperformed.
Box Office Mojoreports thatHow To Be a Latin Lovertook second place with an impressive $12 million, despite opening in just 1,118 theaters, pulling in an impressive $10,750 per-screen average. The surprise Bollywood hitBaahubali: The Conclusionperfromed even better, with most not even projecting the movie to crack the top 10. However, it opened in third place with $10.1 million, pulling in a whopping $23,855 per-screen average from just 425 theaters. Despite its star power, with A-list starsTom Hanks and Emma Watson,The Circleseverely underperformed, taking fourth place with $9.3 million, pulling in a meager $2,947 per-screen average from 3,163 theaters. The top 5 was rounded out byThe Boss Babywith $9 million.
After suffering a steep second weekend drop of 61.1%, the action sequelF8evened out a bit this weekend, dropping just 49.5%, bringing its domestic total to $192.7 million. The high-octane sequel continues to perform well overseas, crossing the $1 billion worldwide mark. Its international tally of $867.6 million represents 81.8% of its global box office haul, and while its domestic take likely won’t be a franchise best,The Fate of the Furiouscould surpassFurious 7’s $1.5 billion worldwide haul for a franchise record. We won’t know for sure until the movie closes out its box office run in a few months, but its international success is quite impressive nonetheless.
The Circleis based on the hit best-selling novel by Dave Eggers, which was adapted by director James Ponsoldt. The story centers on Mae Holland, portrayed by Emma Watson, who lands a job at the social media company calledThe Circle. This new employee joins a new experiment that encroaches on the boundaries of privacy and personal freedom, as she soon realizes that her involvement in this experiment effects the lives of everyone around her. The supporting cast includesJohn Boyega, Ellar Coltrane, Glenne Headly, Nate Corddry, Karen Gillan, Patton Oswalt and Bill Paxton.
After his surprise hitInstructions Not Included, Latin starEugenio Derbezreturns to conquer the box office once again withHow to Be a Latin Lover. The comedian portrays a character named Maximo, who has been living the high life, married to a wealthy 80 year old woman, until she dumps him for a much younger man, which forces him to move in with his estranged sister Sara, played by Salma Hayek, and her nerdy son Hugo (Raphael Alejandro). He hatches a plan to return to the luxurious lifestyle he’s become accustomed to, as he hatches a plan to seduce a widowed billionaire (Raquel Welch) and live the high life once again. Kristen Bell, Rob Lowe, Michael Cera, Rob Riggle, Rob Huebel, Renee Taylor and Linda Lavin round out the supporting cast, with Ken Marino directing from a script by Jon Zack and Chris Spain.
The one newcomer that didn’t manage to crack the top 10 wasSleight, which opened in 14th place with $1.6 million, earning a horrid $2,991 per-screen average from 595 theaters. The story centers on a young street magician (Jacob Latimore), who, after his mother’s death, turns to dealing drugs at parties to support his little sister. When she is kidnapped by his supplier, he uses his sleight of hand and keen intelligence to find her. The supporting cast includes Dule Hill, Seychelle Gabriel, Lyndsi LaRose, Brandon Johnson, Sasheer Zamata and Donzaleigh Abernathy. The top 10 is rounded out byBeauty and the Beast($6.4 million),Going in Style($3.5 million),Smurfs: The Lost Village($3.31 million),Gifted($3.3 million) andUnforgettable($2.7 million). Also arriving in limited release is Well Go USA’sBuster’s Mal Heart, which earned $7,800 from one theater and Oscilloscope Pictures’One Week and a Day, which earned $9,500 from three theaters for a $3,167 per-screen average. No box office data was released forBelow Her Mouth,Grey LadyandThe Lady.
Next weekend marks the start of the summer movie season, with Marvel’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2opening nationwide, with no other movies challenging it in wide release. There will be a number of indie films arriving in limited release though, with The Weinstein Company’s drama3 Generations, The Orchard’s thrillerThe Diner, A24’s romantic comedyThe Lovers, Argot Pictures' documentarySacredand Well Go USA’s romantic comedyThis Is Not What I Expected, but none of those are expected to giveGuardians 2any severe competition. Take a look at the top 10 estimates for the weekend of April 28, and check back on Tuesday for next week’s predictions.
