Universal’s “Hobbs & Shaw” is off and running at the box office, taking No. 1 this weekend with an estimated $60.8 million opening from 4,253 screens.
While that’s much lower than the $98 million opening for “The Fate of the Furious,” this spinoff of the “Fast & Furious” series doesn’t necessarily have to reach the numbers of its recent predecessors to find box office success. With its $180 million global opening, “Hobbs & Shaw” is off to a start similar to last year’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” another installment in a long-running action franchise that came out at this time in the release calendar.
Also like “Fallout,” “Hobbs & Shaw” is doing well with audiences with an A- on CinemaScore, though critics were somewhat less enthused with a 67% Rotten Tomatoes score. As with past “Fast & Furious” films, audience turnout was quite diverse, with 47% Caucasian, 27% Hispanic and 20% African American.
Overseas, where “Fast & Furious” films have become big moneymakers, “Hobbs & Shaw” has earned $120 million and No. 1 in 52 markets, with Russia and the U.K. serving as the top markets, with an $8.2 million and $7.8 million opening respectively. The film has yet to release in China, where “Fate of the Furious” grossed $392 million. That country is set for release on Aug. 23.
Disney’s “The Lion King” takes second, as it passes $400 million domestic with a $38.2 million fourth weekend, bringing its global total to $1.19 billion. That puts it in the top 20 highest grossing films of all time and roughly $68 million away from passing the global theatrical run of the 2017 “Beauty and the Beast” remake.
Taking third is Sony’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” which is getting the hold that past Tarantino films like “Inglourious Basterds” have earned. The potential Oscar contender’s $20 million second weekend total is a 51% drop from its $41 million opening, giving it a 10-day total of $78.8 million.
Sony’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is fourth, with $7.8 million in its fifth weekend for a domestic total of $360.3 million. Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” completes the top 5 with $7.2 million, bringing its domestic total to $410 million and its global total to $959 million.