The box office was packed with two big stories - the success of Fast & Furious 6 and the major disappointment of The Hangover Part III. But the other big storyline was that it was the best Memorial Day weekend for Hollywood in history.
As we previously reported, Fast 6 has reached $120 million in just four days. That’s huge for Universal and the largest opening in the car franchise’s history. It’s earned great reviews from audiences and made $96.8 million over its first three days, notes The Los Angeles Times.
While Fast 6 took its franchise to new heights, The Hangover III took its series to a new low. In 2011, Hangover II grossed $135 million over the Memorial Day weekend, even though it earned tepid reviews. Hangover III also earned poor reviews, but this time it hurt the box office receipts. The Warner Bros. film finished its four days with just $51.2 million, according to Hollywood.com.
Star Trek Into Darkness added $47 million, while Fox’s new animated film Epic debuted to a surprisingly strong $42.6 million holiday weekend. Iron Man 3 rounded out the top 5 with $24.4 million. The Great Gatsby also added another $17 million.
While executives at Warner Bros. may be disappointed, the industry as a whole is wearing a big smile. With four films grossing over $40 million over Memorial Day weekend, Hollywood grossed a total of $316 million at the box office. That’s the biggest Memorial Day weekend ever.
image: Universal/image.net