Universal’s “Fast Five” is off to a huge head start on the competition at the box office this weekend. In a record for the franchise, the film pulled in $3.7 million from midnight screenings last night from just 1,100 theaters. It’s on track to gross between $72 and $80 million over the weekend, which would be 2011’s biggest opening so far. Looks like summer movie season has officially started!
The midnight total for 2009’s “Fast and Furious” was $1.8 million, eventually earning $155 million domestic.
Starting today, “Fast Five” is appearing on 3,643 screens in the U.S. The film is already doing big business overseas, where it is No. 1 in all the territories it’s playing in.
“Fast Five” stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson.
Read Drew McWeeny’s review here.