Fast & Furious easily outraced its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a stunning $72.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in the lead roles proved to be quite lucrative, as the fourth installment in the popular series delivered a better opening weekend than any of its three predecessors.
Also doing pretty well was DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters vs. Aliens, which took home another $33.5 million for a domestic total of $105.7 million after only two weeks in release.
At No. 3, The Haunting in Connecticut pulled in $9.5 million, reaching a total gross of $37.2 million. Starring Virginia Madsen, the Peter Cornwell-directed horror thriller follows a family experiencing supernatural events in their new home.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage’s latest sci-fi thriller Knowing dropped to No. 4, collecting $8.1 million for a cumulative of $58.2 million after a three-week run.
Following closely in fifth place with $7.8 million was I Love You, Man, with Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, which brought its domestic total to $49.2 million.
New entry Adventureland debuted at a disappointing No. 6, taking home a modest $6 million. Directed by Greg Mottola, the film stars Jesse Eisenberg as a recent college grad who picks up a lame job at a local amusement park. Kristen Stewart co-stars.
Tony Gilroy’s comedy Duplicity tumbled to No. 7, earning $4.3 million for a cume of $32.3 million. Clive Owen and Julia Roberts star as two spies trying to pull off a gigantic corporate con.
At the bottom of the top 10, Race to Witch Mountain, starring Dwayne Johnson, slipped to eighth place with a weekend gross of $3.3 million and a total of $58.3 million, while 12 Rounds, with John Cena, picked up $2.3 million for a cumulative of $9 million at No. 9.
At No. 10, Sunshine Cleaning, starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, pulled $1.8 million after expanding into 479 theaters. The film’s total haul currently stands at $4.7 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS Soars to the Top of the Box Office
WHAT A STUPID MOVIE!
A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. I WISH I'D STAYED HOME DOING NOTHING THAN GO SEE THIS PIECE OF TRASH. VIN DIESEL SHOULD BE ASHAMED.