‘Fifty Shades Freed’ tops charts at $38M

LOS ANGELES — Newcomers like “Fifty Shades Freed,” “Peter Rabbit” and “The 15: 17 to Paris” breathed some fresh life into a marketplace that has for weeks 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,” which opens next week. “Fifty Shades Freed” managed to take the top spot on the charts in North American theaters. Universal Pictures estimated Sunday that the final chapter in the Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele saga earned $38.8 million over the weekend — down significantly from the first film’s $85.2 million debut and even the sequel’s $46.6 million opening, but enough to bump the threefilm franchise over $1 billion globally. Women once again made up the vast majority (75 percent) of the openingweekend audience.

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

“The 15:17 to Paris” pulled into third place with $12.6 million. Clint Eastwood’s dramatic thriller about the true story was not well-received by critics or audiences, who gave the film a poor B- CinemaScore. Two films that just won’t quit rounded out the top five: “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” fell to fourth place with $9.8 million and “The Greatest Showman” took fifth with $6.4 million. Estimated ticket sales (in millions) for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.

1. “Fifty Shades Freed” — $38.8 2. “Peter Rabbit” — $25.0 3. “The 15:17 to Paris” — $12.6 4. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” — $9.8 5. “The Greatest Showman” — $6.4 6. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” — $6.0 7. “Winchester” — $5.1 8. “The Post” — $3.5 9. “The Shape of Water” — $3.0 10. “Den of Thieves,”— $2.9