‘Fate of the Furious’ cruises into second-weekend win as newcomers struggle

Weekend Box Office - April 21-23, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) - “Fate of the Furious” blew past the competition with a weekend draw of an estimated $38.7 million. Since opening last week, the eighth installment in the series has managed to earn $908 million worldwide. By this time next week, the film will join Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” as the second film in 2017 to pass the $1 billion mark. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Captain America: Civil War” were the only films in 2016 to cross that threshold.

“Beauty and the Beast” added $10 million domestically, which is good enough for third place, but it is the $12.8 million opening in Japan that should be getting the spotlight. That total might not appear to be all that impressive, but consider “Captain America: Civil War” only did $24 million during its entire run last year.

Second place went to “The Boss Baby” with $12.8 million. The DreamWorks Animation film has now earned $136 million domestically.

It’s a tight race for the fourth and fifth spots with “Born in China,” Disneynature's annual Earth Day release, and the old-timer heist film “Going in Style” both sitting around the $5 million mark.

“The Promise,” which opened with only $4.1 million against a $90 million budget, is being called the first bomb of the year. Unfortunately, the historical drama, which stars Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon and Christian Bale, was screened locally for press as I was traveling back fromStar Wars Celebration in Orlando. Reviews have been pretty unkind, but the cast boasts so much potential.