The Weekend Report

Furious 7 (or Furious Seven per screen credit) arrived with an estimated record $143.8 million debut that cornered close to two-thirds of all weekend ticket sales. The closest thing to counter-programming was a mid-range release of the history-based Woman in Gold that grossed a strong $2 million at 258 galleries.

Session box office nudged to $220 million for a sizeable 48% expansion from seven days earlier. It was also a 33% improvement from 2014 (not Easter/Passover weekend) when Captain America: The Winter Soldier bowed to $95 million and skipper Noah followed with $17 million.

In the niches there were good returns for Hindi Detective Byomkesh Bakshi with a $354,000 box office and Chinese import Let’s Get Married with a $191,000 opener. On the flip side the Brit drama Effie Gray fizzled with a $160,000 bow from 201 locations. Exclusive newcomers generally generated blah results.

The anticipation for Furious 7 was palpable and pundits and trackers (with an insufficient data base to make comparisons) were conservative with albeit still potent estimates of between $120 million and $125 million. That changed upward with Thursday previews of $15.8 million reported.

The list of record-breaking returns both on the domestic and international front is close to endless. On the home front it is the biggest April bow ever and Universal’s all-time top debut. It also has the distinction of having the largest spread between first and second place grossers ($116.6 million if numbers hold). Internationally with estimates of $240 million from 63 territories it registered all-time opening records in a couple of dozen climes. It also clocked in as the fourth biggest global opener behind two Harry Potter entries and Marvel’s The Avengers. Estimates include a $20.8 million bow in Mexico and $19 million from the UK with China, Japan and Russia set to release in upcoming weeks.

Studio exit polls identified the audience as 51% male with 56% of viewers aged 25-years and older. With this sort of stratospheric heights it’s safe to say the film vacuumed up filmgoers across all sectors as only a few films annually are able to accomplish and that puts considerable pressure on the upcoming release of The Avengers sequel.

Furious 7 received generally favorable reviews and kudos for its non-maudlin nod to Paul Walker. Albeit out-sized and sometimes silly, the film delivers the thrills and humor of an unexpected franchise that’s covered unbelievable commercial ground.

Despite the considerable dominance of the gear-shifting dynamo, the frame still saw strong returns for family and alternative fare. Pundits were prognosticating little more than a $1 million return for Woman of Gold and slow roll outs for While We’re Young and Danny Collins continued to hold well … at least until next month’s march of summer behemoths. Home and Cinderella also appear well planted in the coming weeks.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•