It’s not exactly a surprise thatF9was able to maintain the first spot at this weekend’s holiday box-office, as the newFast & Furiousinstallment was one of the most-anticipated films of 2021. Even so, as we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic on movie theaters, it’s great news that this year’s Independence Day (a traditionally big moviegoing weekend in the U.S.) was able to haul an impressive box office compared to 2020. And whileF9might be responsible for the more significant chunk of last weekend’s numbers, other titles contribute to these optimistic results.
In total, the 4th of July weekend reached $71 million at the box office, a number that should grow at the end of this Monday’s observed holiday. While this number is far from the $150 million to $200 million we’re used to, as 20% of movie theaters are still closed in the country, and many studios pushed back their blockbusters release date to escape the pandemic’s effects, this is still a solid result. In comparison, movie theaters barely brought in $1.5 million in 2020 during the same period.
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More than a third of last weekend’s box office comes fromF9, which added another $24 million over the weekend.F9should end the holiday with $32.7 million, boosting its domestic box office to $125.8 million. Internationally,F9generated $23 million, which puts its worldwide box office at a total of $374 million. It’s official, the kings are dead:Godzilla vs. Kongis no longer thehighest-grossing Hollywood movie since the start of the pandemic.
F9was not alone in the race, as Universal’sThe Boss Baby: Family Businesswas also off to a good start. The animated sequel hauled $17.36 million in its first three days in theaters and is expected to get to $23.07 million by the end of the prolonged weekend. While 2017’sThe Boss Babydebuted at $50 million, this is still a solid start forThe Boss Baby: Family Business, especially since the movie is also streaming on Peacock (although only in the paid tier).
Holding the third spot of the weekend is yet another Universal Pictures release, asThe Forever Purgegrabbed $12.75 million over the weekend should reach $15.86 million today. This is the lowest debut for the franchise, as eachThe Purgefilm typically opens to $20 million to $30 million. Still, with production costs of $18 million, it shouldn’t be too hard forThe Forever Purgeto turn a profit.
It seems like things are slowly coming back to some kind of normal, and we couldn’t be happier to come back to theaters and share the experience of filmgoing with loved ones. Let’s hope the industry keeps recovering and we keep enjoying our favorite movies on the big screen.
And next weekend, all eyes are onBlack Widow…
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