Universal scored a major box office coup this past weekend as Fast and Furious, the 4th picture in the street-racing themed franchise brought in an estimated $72.5 million, the biggest debut of 2009 so far, the largest April opening ever, and by far the best bow in the history of the franchise. Originally scheduled for a June release, Universal gambled and moved Fast and Furious to April where it faced much less in the way of competition, a move that paid huge dividends.
Weekend Box Office (Studio Estimates): April 3 - 5, 2009
| Rank | Film | Weekend Gross | Screens | Avg./Screen |
| 1 | Fast and Furious | $72,508,000 | 3,461 | $20,950 |
| 2 | Monsters Vs. Aliens | $33,510,000 | 4,109 | $8,155 |
| 3 | The Haunting in Connecticut | $9,550,000 | 2,732 | $3,496 |
| 4 | Knowing | $8,130,000 | 3,323 | $2,447 |
| 5 | I Love You, Man | $7,850,000 | 2,829 | $2,775 |
| 6 | Adventureland | $6,010,000 | 1,862 | $3,228 |
| 7 | Duplicity | $4,300,000 | 2,522 | $1,705 |
| 8 | Race to Witch Mountain | $3,351,000 | 2,825 | $1,186 |
| 9 | 12 Rounds | $2,300,000 | 2,331 | $987 |
| 10 | Sunshine Cleaning | $1,879,000 | 479 | $3,923 |
In addition to its innovative scheduling maneuver, Universal managed to find a cure for “sequel-itis” by bringing back the stars of the original film Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, who had been MIA for various films in the series, and flagging their return with a savvy “New Model. Original Parts.” marketing campaign. Both strategies paid off as Fast and Furious has joined a very select group of films including Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, and Zack Snyder’s 300 that managed summer blockbuster-type openings during the first four months of the year.
Fast and Furious more than doubled most analysts’ projections while posting the top debut ever for a car-themed film thanks to a jaw-dropping $20,590 per theater average. Despite the inevitable drops suffered by major action films and the pummeling Fast and Furious received from the critics (only 24% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), the prognosis for the film is quite strong thanks to a solid CinemaScore of “A-” from first weekend moviegoers. Its huge audience was 57% male and 59% over 25, and its way-above-expectations performance is sure to bolster the career of Vin Diesel, whose star has been in eclipse lately thanks to some less than successful outings (The Chronicles of Riddick, Find Me Guilty).
Last week’s winner, Monsters vs. Aliens, dropped just 43.5% and earned an estimated $33.5 million as it blew past the $100 million mark in just ten days. Just by themselves the top 2 films this past weekend earned more money than the total box office during the same weekend last year. The top ten films cumulatively grossed 96% more than their counterparts did in 2008 as
The only other major new release (other than Fast and Furious), Miramax’s coming-of-age saga Adventureland, which stars Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, debuted at #6 with an estimated $6 million. A good portion of its potential youthful audience was evidently diverted by the speeding cars and non-stop thrills of Fast and Furious.
Watchmen dropped down to #13 and brought in just over a million dollars driving its five-week haul to just over $105 million. It looks to finish its domestic box office run under $110 million, well below the $134.5 million total of Wanted, another film based on an “unknown” superhero property, which opened north of $50 million.
Henry Selick’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline came in at #19 and looks like it will end its box office run with about $75 million.
