Box Office: 'Fast & Furious 6' Topping Biggest Memorial Day Weekend of All Time
'Fast & Furious 6' applies pedal to metal at box office
The action pic tops Friday with $38.2 million, while "The Hangover Part III" is a distant second with $14.5 million; 3D animated toon "Epic" opens to a solid $9.4 million.
Universal's Fast & Furious 6 is leading a record Memorial Day weekend at the domestic box office, opening to a fuel-injected $38.2 million on Friday for a projected $119.3 million debut, one of the top showings for the holiday and a franchise-best.
Overseas, Fast 6 is recording the biggest opening numbers ever for Universal, earning another $36 million on Friday for an estimated weekend gross of $150 million from 59 territories and a worldwide total north of $270 million through Monday.
'Fast & Furious 6' applies pedal to metal at box office
Despite tough reviews, Hangover managed $14.5 million Friday, which should send it above forecasters' projections of $55 million over the long weekend. Just 21% of the nation's critics recommended the movie, says polling site Rottentomatoes.com. Fans gave the movie a "B," says pollsters CinemaScore.
Moviegoers went mad over Furious, however. About 73% of critics gave it a thumbs-up, while a staggering 95% of fans liked it, Rottentomatoes.com says.
Furious propelled all business this weekend. If estimates hold, Memorial Day weekend box office will top $300 million, a record. Final figures are due Tuesday.
The $160 million Furious also debuted in first place in 59 foreign markets and is expected to do another $150 million overseas.
A seventh film is slated for July 11, 2014.