It’s been a loooooong time since I’ve written a weekend box office report because it’s been an equally long time since there has been anything to write about, but on Monday, F9, the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, will cross the $500 million mark at the international box office. It will be the first movie to cross that threshold since the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the world last spring. So that is something to celebrate!
While Hollywood isn’t raking in the billions it was before 2020, this is at least a sign that things are getting better and that audiences are returning to multiplexes at long last.
Just looking at the domestic box office, the July 4th weekend is expected to generate an estimated $109.2 million in ticket sales, the most since the pandemic. The previous high-mark was Memorial Day weekend, which accounted for $98.3M, buoyed mainly by A Quiet Place Part II.
It should be pointed out that F9 actually opened last weekend on June 25, so it’s still going strong in its sophomore frame. Originally, Paramount planned to open Top Gun: Maverick this weekend, but it and other studios didn’t want to get sandwiched between F9 and Disney’s Black Widow, which is opening next weekend.
F9 was directed by Justin Lin and stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron.
F9 was released by Universal, and the #2 and #3 movies are also by that same studio. At #2 is The Boss Baby: Family Business, which was also released to stream via Peacock, and the #3 movie is The Forever Purge, co-produced by Blumhouse. Allegedly, Peacock is struggling in the streaming wars, and The Boss Baby: Family Business didn’t really drive a bunch of people to sign up for it. (This franchise skews very young and isn’t the type of animated film that appeals to older kids or adults.)
Tom McGrath directed The Boss Baby: Family Business, which features the voices of Alec Baldwin, James Marsden, Amy Sedaris, Ariana Greenblatt, Jeff Goldblum, Eva Longoria, Jimmy Kimmel, and Lisa Kudrow.
The Forever Purge, the fifth in the series, was directed by Everardo Valerio Gout. Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Cassidy Freeman, Leven Rambin, Alejandro Edda, and Will Patton star.
Combined, The Boss Baby and The Forever Purge are expected to generate roughly $71.7M over the four-day weekend.
Universal Domestic Distribution Boss Jim Orr declared:
“This weekend epitomizes the strengths of Universal. We have some of the very best franchises in the history of the industry, as proven by the success of F9 The Fast Saga in its debut last week and the strong hold this weekend, as we also very successfully open films from our tremendous partners at Dreamworks and Blumhouse, delivering audiences the most diverse slate in the industry.”
Below you can find the Top Five for this weekend:
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- F9 (Universal) 3-day $24M – 4-day: $32.75M
- Boss Baby: Family Business (Universal) 3-day $17.36M – 4-day $23.07M
- The Forever Purge (Universal) 3-day $12.75M – 4-day $15.86M
- A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) 3-day: $4.22M – 4-day: $5.57M
- The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) 3-day $3M – 4-day $3.9M
Next weekend will be a real test, as the biggest movie to open post-pandemic– Black Widow– is opening. Will the power of Marvel be the jolt needed to bring the masses back to the cineplex? Check back next week to find out!
