‘Hobbs & Shaw’ rolls by the competition
Universal’s “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” toppled “The Lion King” from the top of the domestic box office this past weekend, opening with $60.8 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore — in line with analysts, who had pegged the film to earn between $60 million and $65 million.
The first spinoff in the 18year-old “Fast & Furious” franchise stars Dwayne Johnson as lawman Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham as mercenary Deckard Shaw. The $200-million film, the ninth entry in the action series, went over well with audiences and critics with an A-minus CinemaScore and a 67% “fresh” rating from review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Still, “Hobbs & Shaw” had the lowest opening for a “Fast & Furious” movie since 2006’s “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” debuted to $24 million. The franchise’s most recent entry, 2017’s “The Fate of the Furious,” opened with $98.8 million on its way to $1.24 billion in global receipts. That film cost $250 million to make.
Internationally, “Hobbs & Shaw” earned $120 million. The $180.8-million global opening is the biggest of 2019 for a non-Disney, nonsuperhero film as well as the biggest domestic opening of the summer for a non-Disney, non-superhero film.
“The tremendous global result this weekend demonstrates that a potent combination of actors with great chemistry and a director in David Leitch with a strong vision can deliver a loyal fan base a new and exciting chapter,” said Jim Orr, the studio’s distribution chief. “The cast and filmmakers did an incredible job making this movie fun, thrilling and original while staying true to the ‘Fast & Furious’ DNA that audiences have come to expect.”
Disney’s “The Lion King” dropped to second place in its third weekend after spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1. It added $38.2 million for a cumulative $430.9 million. The film, which crossed the $1-billion mark globally last week, is the fourth Disney movie to surpass that mark this year after “Captain Marvel,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Aladdin.”
At No. 3, Sony’s “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” added $20 million in its second weekend, a 51% drop, for a cumulative $78.8 million. Analysts had predicted the film would earn $20 million to $22 million this past weekend.
In fourth place, Sony’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” added $7.8 million in its fifth weekend for a cumulative $360.3 million. It stands at $1.08 billion in global receipts.
Rounding out the top five, Disney’s “Toy Story 4” added $7.2 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $410.1 million. It stands at $959.3 million in global grosses and will likely become Disney’s fifth film to cross $1 billion before its theatrical run is over.
At No. 6, Universal’s “Yesterday” added $2.4 million in its sixth weekend for a cumulative $67.9 million. At No. 7, A24’s “The Farewell” added 274 locations and $2.4 million in its fourth weekend — a 60% increase — for a cumulative $6.8 million. In eighth, Paramount’s “Crawl” added $2.2 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $36.1 million.
At No. 9, “Aladdin” added $2 million in its 11th weekend for a cumulative $350.4 million. Rounding out the top 10: Warner Bros.’ “Annabelle Comes Home” added $875,000 in its sixth weekend for a cumulative $71.6 million.
In limited release, Neon’s drama “Luce” opened in five theaters to $132,916 for a perscreen average of $26,583. It earned a 94% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The studio’s “Honeyland” expanded into five locations after debuting in two theaters last weekend. It grossed $37,671, for a perscreen average of $7,534 and a cumulative $81,827.
This week, Warner Bros.’ debuts the crime drama “The Kitchen.”