It turns out a lot of people of people decided to spend their Memorial Day weekend at movie theaters.
For the first time ever, box office receipts eclipsed $300 million for the four-day weekend with five films helping gross $316 million. Fast & Furious 6 was the No. 1 film, grossing $120 million for the fourth-best Memorial Day weekend opening ever.
The latest film in the Fast and Furious franchise, starring Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, grossed nearly $99 million through Sunday, surpassing Fast Five’s franchise-high opening of $86 million. With engaging characters, great performances and fantastic action, there’s no wonder Fast & Furious 6 took the top spot this weekend.
Coming in second was The Hangover Part III as the final chapter in the stupid and pointless comedy trilogy brought in $51.2 million. Star Trek Into Darkness was third with $47 million, which opened with an underwhelming $75 million last weekend.
Epic, the new animated film that we thought could’ve been a whole lot better than it was, grossed a surprising $42.6 million to take the fourth spot, and Iron Man 3 continued its strong run with another $24.4 million (its total is now $372 million) to come in fifth.
Fast & Furious 6 could claim the No. 1 spot again next weekend as Now You See Me and After Earth open. While those films look like they could be solid, I don’t think they’re big enough to top Fast & Furious 6.