Friday Report: 'Fast Five' Hits Top Gear
On Friday, Fast Five made off with an estimated $33.2 million at 3,644 locations, dominating the day and shooting past Fast and Furious's $30.6 million Friday start for a new franchise high (though there wasn't an improvement in attendance). It was a record for April and the second highest-grossing Friday launch outside of the summer or holiday seasons, behind Alice in Wonderland (2010)'s $40.8 million.

Fast Five's Friday tally included its $3.8 million midnight start, which more than doubled Fast and Furious's $1.8 million midnight. Fast Five's on track to rack up close to $80 million for the weekend, which would exceed Fast and Furious's $71 million for a new April record and would dwarf fellow Rio de Janeiro adventure, Rio ($39.2 million), for biggest opening of 2011.

While Fast Five sizzled, the three other new nationwide releases fizzled. Prom drew a soft estimated $1.85 million at 2,730 locations. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil mustered just around $1.1 million at 2,505 locations (nearly 80 percent of the gross from 3D presentations), which was a fraction of the first Hoodwinked. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night was even worse, grossing a mere $270,000 estimate at 875 locations.

Holdovers took a tumble, in part due to last Friday being Good Friday. Rio dropped 66 percent to an estimated $3.6 million, lifting its total to $92.8 million in 15 days. Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family fell 70 percent to an estimated $3.1 million for a $34.1 million tally in eight days. Its slide was comparable to Perry's last Easter movie, Why Did I Get Married Too?, though its gross was lower. Water for Elephants retreated 58 percent to an estimated $2.9 million for a $26.1 million sum in eight days, though it's on course for a standard second-weekend hit.

Related Story:

Forecast: 'Fast Five' Fever



Related Charts:

Grosses for Friday, April 29, 2011

• All Time Opening Days