The law of diminishing returns which often determines the box-office trajectory of sequels doesn’t apply to the Fast & Furious franchise.
The sixth edition of the guns, cars, girls and action caper raked in $13.6 million from Thursday through Monday, a record for the franchise. That was 41 per cent bigger than the five-day opening of the fifth edition, which had the benefit of the Easter vacation.
Universal reports that tracking showed the strongest response to Fast & Furious 6 came from women aged under 25, so it’s not just a male-driven phenomenon.
The Great Gatsby was resilient in its second weekend, scoring $5.7 million for the five days, which elevates its cumulative total to $15.2 million. Fuelled by favourable word-of-mouth, Baz Luhrmann’s romantic drama looks likely to reach at least $25 million.
Bollywood action comedy Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, the sequel to a 2011 hit, opened fairly well.
However it was not a memorable weekend for other specialty releases. Benoit Jacquot’s Farewell, My Queen, a drama set during the final days of Marie Antoinette’s reign, starring Diane Kruger and Lea Seydoux, did not resonate strongly despite generally enthusiastic reviews.
Also unimpressive were the debuts of Still Mine, a Canadian drama that follows a couple played by Genevieve Bujold and James Cromwell as they wrestle with her dementia; and Ping Pong, a documentary that examines eight folk, including one 100-year-old Aussie woman, as they compete in the over-80s world table tennis championships in Mongolia.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE June 6-9
|
|
Title |
Week/ Screens |
Box Office |
% +- |
Total
|
|
1 |
Fast & Furious 6 |
1/513 |
$11,088,061 |
NA |
$11,289,659 |
|
2 |
The Great Gatsby |
2/584 |
4,565,338 |
-33 |
14,110,041 |
|
3 |
The Hangover Part 111 |
3/432 |
1,952,793 |
-55 |
18,589,539 |
|
4 |
Star Trek Into Darkness |
5/290 |
606,420 |
-48 |
15,390,868 |
|
5 |
Iron Man 3 |
7/168 |
425,722 |
-50 |
38,805,073 |
|
6 |
The Place Beyond the Pines |
5/73 |
136,428 |
-30 |
2,596,329 |
|
7 |
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani |
2/15 |
119,797 |
-55 |
501,611 |
|
8 |
National Theatre: This House |
1/31 |
95,338 |
NA |
95,338 |
|
9 |
The Reluctant Fundamentalist |
3/25 |
91,393 |
-8 |
406,574 |
|
10 |
Happiness Never Comes Alone |
2/20 |
84,814 |
+26 |
237,443 |
Source: Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia