A scene from the 'Fast & Furious 6' movie
The latest entry in Universal's cars and criminals franchise is roaring to a $122 million four-day haul in its debut, and setting the pace for an overall box office that will top $300 million for the weekend. That easily beats the previous best Memorial Day holiday haul, which was the $276 million rung up in 2011, when "Hangover II" led the pack with $85 million.
"Fast & Furious 6" is proving a global hit, too. It opened No. 1 in 59 foreign markets and took in $158 million abroad this weekend, giving it a three-day global total of $275 million, the studio's best-ever worldwide opening.
"Fast & Furious 6" took in roughly $31 million in North America on Saturday, on the heels of its $38.1 million Friday, to leave its rivals in the dust. The muscle-car sequel dominated, averaging $8,605 on its 3,658 screens. Runner-up "The Hangover Part III" averaged $4,120 per screen in 3,555 theatres, reports The Wrap.
The finale in Warner Bros. raunchy R-rated comedy franchise laughed its way to $14.6 million Saturday, which left it on pace for a $51 million four-day haul and an overall total of $63 million since it opened Thursday. That's way off the $135 million earned by "The Hangover Part II" during the same stretch in 2011.
Going in, the battle between "Fast & Furious 6" and ""Hangover Part III" was seen as a competition for young males. The hot car saga with the ethnically diverse cast took that, but also attracted plenty of women -- 49 percent of its audience -- and got a huge boost from Hispanic moviegoers, who made up 32 percent of the crowd.
"After 'Fast Five' performed so strongly, we knew we had something special going," said Universal's head of distribution Nikki Rocco, "but we didn't take anything for granted. To have a movie opening like this takes the studio, the filmmakers and everyone to come through, and we did."
The huge debut means "Fast & Furious 6" should outstrip the previous highest-grossing entry in the franchise, "Fast Five," which took in $209 million domestically and a whopping $416 million overseas for a $626 million worldwide haul in 2011. Overall, the "Fast and Furious" franchise has brought in $1.6 billion globally.
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