'F9' puts charge back into movie theaters with $70M opening

In the biggest sign yet that life is left in movie theaters, “F9” sped to $70 million in its first weekend, the biggest pandemic-era opening for a film

Film Review - F9: The Fast Saga (COPYRIGHT © 2020 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved.)

In the biggest sign yet that life is left in movie theaters, “F9" sped to a box office take of $70 million in its first weekend, the biggest pandemic-era opening for a film, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The ninth installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise opened only in theaters, eschewing the hybrid streaming releases of several of the year's films, and had the widest release of any movie since the start of the coronavirus crisis.

The domestic total for Universal Pictures “F9” topped the previous pandemic-best of $48.4 million for “A Quiet Place Part II” four weeks ago. It was the biggest opening of any film since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in December 2019.

This weekend, “A Quiet Place Part II” came in a very distant second with $6.2 million. But it has now earned $136.4 million since its release. “The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard” brought in $4.88 million in the third spot.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included.

1. “F9,” $70 million.

2. “A Quiet Place Part II " $6.2 million.

3. “The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard,” $4.88 million.

4. “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway,” $4.85 million.

5. “Cruella ” $3.7 million.

6. “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” $2.9 million.

7. “In The Heights,” $2.2 million.

8. “Spirit Untamed,” $591,917.

9. “12 Mighty Orphans,” $560,000.

10. “Nobody,” $229,000.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton