‘Fifty Shades Freed’ dominates newcomers
Final film in trilogy opens atop box office with $38.8 million
Following a lackluster Super Bowl weekend for theaters where films opening around Christmas dominated the box office, this past weekend’s three new wide releases all debuted at the top of the chart, led by “Fifty Shades Freed.”
The final installment in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy debuted in first place to the tune of $38.8 million, according to measurement firm Comscore.
Based on the third and final entry in the book series by British author E.L. James, “Fifty Shades Freed” was expected to gross about $33 million in North America. It earned mixed reviews from audiences and critics, receiving a B-plus from Cinemascore but an 11 percent “rotten” rating from review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
The two previous movies in the trilogy grossed a combined $950 million. The first, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” opened in 2015 with $85 million domestically before grossing $571 million globally. Last year’s follow-up, “Fifty Shades Darker,” debuted to $47.6 million and eventually collected $381 million worldwide.
The pictures, about a sexually inexperienced woman who falls for a billionaire with eccentric sexual appetites, star Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.
In second place, the family film “Peter Rabbit” earned $25 million in its first weekend in theaters, well above analysts’ predictions of $16 million.
A modern-day computer-animated/live-action take on the Beatrix Potter character, estimated to have cost $50 million, the film stars James Corden as the voice of a mischievous bunny at war with his neighbor. The movie also earned mixed reviews, receiving an A-minus on Cinemascore and a 58 percent “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes.
In third place, “The 15:17 to Paris” earned $12.6 million in its first weekend. The latest directorial effort by Clint Eastwood tells the real-life story of three Americans who thwarted a terrorist attack on a train in 2015 by subduing a gunman. In an unusual twist, the American men, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos, play themselves in the film.
Coming in fourth, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” now in its eighth week, added $9.8 million in earnings, for a cumulative $365.6 million. Rounding out the top five, Fox’s “The Greatest Showman,” also in its eighth week, added $6.4 million for a cumulative $146.5 million.