Box Office: ‘F9’ Zooms Past $250 Million Internationally

Ellise Shafer administratorThe ninth installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise is on its way to breaking a pandemic-era domestic box office record with an estimated $68 million debut.The action film, starring Vin Diesel and John Cena, raked in $30 million on Friday alone from 4,179 theaters.

Given the current state of the recovering box office, “F9” was never expected to come close to the $98.7 million launch of its 2017 predecessor, “The Fate of the Furious,” even with the widest release since the pandemic began at 4,179 screens.

“F9,” the ninth movie in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, has gotten off to a quick start by grossing $7.1 million from 3,100 screens for preview showings beginning at 7:00 p.m. The film will open wide at 4,179 North American theaters this weekend, which is the largest theater count since the pandemic shutdown began.Universal’s biggest blockbuster is a long time coming, being delayed from a release way back in April of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As the audience gets ready to witness the battle royal between Vin Diesel and John Cena on the big screen in the US on June 25, the box office pundits have started their predictions for Fast and Furious 9. The action-packed franchise is expected to record the biggest opening day and weekend for a feature film in the US ever since the world has been taken aback by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rebecca Davis editorThe Anthony Hopkins-starring Oscar winner “The Father” debuted in China to a $1.21 million opening weekend, coming in eleventh despite a slow box office weekend, according to data from the Maoyan platform.The first feature from helmer Florian Zeller received six Academy Award nominations and two wins — one for Hopkins as best actor and one for best adapted screenplay.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterIn a long-awaited box office milestone, “Godzilla vs. Kong” has finally hit the $100 million mark in the U.S.The Warner Bros.

Refresh for latest…: International box office markets this weekend were again rife with holdovers doing solid business, while also awaiting a new major title to swing summer into full gear. Lionsgate/Millennium’s Stateside champ, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard was the only signifiant new opener this session with an estimated $7.8M in its debut in 21 overseas markets. Coupled with the domestic five-day launch, the global total is now $24.8M.

Since the release of Paramount’s “A Quiet Place — Part II” and Disney’s “Cruella” at the end of May, overall numbers have dropped 14-18% each weekend as only one June release — Warner Bros.’ “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” — has posted an opening weekend of over $20 million. This weekend, overall grosses fell 18% to an estimated $47 million, leaving theaters to wait for the release of “F9” next weekend to get business going again.

Ellise Shafer administratorLionsgate’s “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” is heading toward a $10 million weekend debut at the domestic box office, with an expected gross of $15 million in its first five days in release.The sequel to 2017’s “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” which opened on Wednesday, took in $3 million from 3,331 locations on Friday. This puts the film on track with previous estimates, which predicted the movie would make a solid $15 million through Sunday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” a sequel to the 2017 action comedy “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” is gunning for the top spot on U.S. box office charts.That shouldn’t be a difficult feat, considering the Lionsgate film is this weekend’s only new nationwide release.

A Quiet Place Part II is unstoppable!

Refresh for latest…: With no major new releases, this was a strong holdover weekend at the international box office, led by last week’s champ, New Line/Warner Bros’ The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Disney’s Cruella and Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II.

Prior to the weekend, Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical was expected to earn at least a $20 million opening, and hopes were high for the film to overperform off the back of a diverse cast and an upbeat tone that would bring audiences back to theaters.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“In the Heights,” the acclaimed adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway show, didn’t hit all the right notes in its box office debut.The Warner Bros. movie generated a wane $11.4 million from 3,456 U.S.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterJohn Krasinski’s nearly silent thriller “A Quiet Place Part II” has crossed a notable box office milestone.The Paramount Pictures film is the first of the pandemic era to surpass $100 million in U.S. ticket sales.

The John Krasinski horror film hit the big milestone on its third Friday in theaters, grossing $3.7 million from 3,515 screens as industry estimates peg the film for a No. 2 finish this weekend with $11.4 million, which would give it a domestic total of $108 million.

Ellise Shafer administratorWarner Bros. movie musical “In the Heights” is poised to top the domestic box office this weekend, though its 3-day estimate now sits lower than previous predictions.Earlier in the week, “In the Heights” — directed by Jon M.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“In the Heights,” the big-screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical, is poised to light up the U.S. box office.Debuting this weekend in 3,400 U.S.

Christopher Vourlias The coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on cinema chains across the globe, with protracted lockdowns, limited seating capacity, and delayed releases of Hollywood blockbusters sending the likes of Alamo Drafthouse into—and out of—bankruptcy and pushing giants like Cineworld and AMC to the brink.Yet for Russia’s Karo Cinemas, the past year has hardly slowed pre-pandemic growth; at the rapidly expanding cinema chain, which is among the country’s largest, it’s currently full

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“F9,” the latest installment of Universal’s action-packed “Fast & Furious” franchise, is the teased “planetary blockbuster” heading to the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned.Starring Vin Diesel, John Cena and Michelle Rodriguez, the highly anticipated movie is already a major international B.O. milestone, having grossed over $250 million worldwide, including $203 million in China (as of June 6).