Furious 7 Out Runs Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
Universal Pictures’ Furious 7 took in $29.16 million last weekend to lead the box office for a third consecutive weekend. The seventh installment of the blockbuster franchise featuring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and the late Paul Walker was down 51 percent from the previous weekend. This weekend’s hold was respectable, especially when taking into account the size of the film’s grosses thus far and the added presence of Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 and Unfriended in theaters. Furious 7 has grossed $294.51 million in 17 days. That leaves the film just $5.49 million away from reaching the $300 million domestic milestone. Furious 7 is currently running 45 percent ahead of the $202.81 million 17-day take of 2013’s Fast & Furious 6.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 debuted in a close second place with $23.76 million. Sony Pictures’ modestly budgeted Kevin James led comedy sequel debuted in line with expectations. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 opened 25 percent below the $31.83 million debut of 2009’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop, but the sequel had been widely expected to open below its predecessor due in part to the six-year gap between films. The solid opening is good news for James, who will appear in Sony’s upcoming Pixels in July. While the film is unlikely to match the strong holding power of its predecessor, it will still have a solid chance of holding up well in the weeks ahead due in part to limited competition for family audiences beside Disney’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Universal’s Unfriended debuted in third with $15.85 million. The ultra low-budget horror film from Blumhouse Productions opened on the low end of pre-release expectations. While Unfriended was unable to break out to the degree its high level of online activity had suggested, the film still performed well last weekend with its small price tag in mind. The potential for Unfriended may have also been limited a bit by its R rating.
Home placed fourth with $10.61 million. The 3D computer animated film from 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation fell 43 percent from the previous weekend, as the film took a bit of a hit from the new competition from Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. While it has been relatively front-loaded for a computer animated film, Home continues to exceed expectations with a 24-day take of $142.92 million.
Fellow 20th Century Fox release The Longest Ride rounded out the weekend’s top five with $7.02 million. The Nicholas Sparks adaptation starring Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood fell 46 percent from the previous weekend’s debut. That represented a respectable second weekend hold, especially given that Sparks adaptations often experience sharp second weekend declines. The Longest Ride has grossed $23.68 million in 10 days. That is on the low end of expectations.
Meanwhile, Monkey Kingdom debuted in eighth place with $4.58 million. The latest nature documentary from Disney’s Disneynature label opened on the low end of modest expectations. Despite receiving the widest launch ever for a Disneynature film in 2,012 locations, Monkey Kingdom delivered the softest opening weekend performance to date for Disneynature.
This Week | Last Week | Movie | Weekend Gross | Cumulative Gross | Weeks |
1 | 1 | Furious 7 | $29.16M | $294.51M | 3 |
2 | N/A | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | $23.76M | $23.76M | 1 |
3 | N/A | Unfriended | $15.85M | $15.85M | 1 |
4 | 2 | Home | $10.61M | $142.92M | 4 |
5 | 3 | The Longest Ride | $7.02M | $23.68M | 2 |
6 | 4 | Get Hard | $4.94M | $78.39M | 4 |
7 | 7 | Woman in Gold | $4.60M | $78.39M | 3 |
8 | N/A | Monkey Kingdom | $4.58M | $4.58M | 1 |
9 | 6 | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | $4.10M | $120.55M | 5 |
10 | 5 | Cinderella | $4.03M | $186.48M | 6 |
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.