‘Fifty Shades Freed’ commands box office

LOS ANGELES — Newcomers “Fifty Shades Freed,” “Peter Rabbit” and “The 15:17 to Paris” breathed fresh life into a marketplace that has been dominated by “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “The Greatest Showman” and various Oscar contenders. But it’s all just setting the stage for “Black Panther,” opening next week.

“Fifty Shades Freed,” starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, took the top spot. Universal Pictures estimated Sunday that the final chapter in the Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele saga earned $38.8 million over the weekend — down from the first film’s $85.2 million debut and the sequel’s $46.6 million opening, but put the franchise over $1 billion globally. Women made up 75 percent of the opening weekend audience.

The steamy romance outdid other new competitors like Sony’s CG and live-action update of “Peter Rabbit,” featuring the voice of James Corden, and Clint Eastwood’s “The 15:17 to Paris,” starring the real men who thwarted an attack on a Paris-bound train in the summer of 2015.

“Peter Rabbit,” which cost around $50 million to produce, took second place with $25million.

“The 15:17 to Paris” was third with $12.6 million. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” fell to fourth place with $9.8 million; “The Greatest Showman” took fifth with $6.4 million.

Next weekend the box office will pick up with “Black Panther,” which some analysts expect to start at $150 million.

“This is the calm before the Marvel storm,” comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. “‘Black Panther’ ... I think it’s going to break records and spark a huge conversation.”