Like Ethan Hawke and his family defending their home against criminal invaders, low-budget Blumhouse Productions horror The Purge fought off competition from former US box office champ** Fast & Furious 6** and new Vince Vaughn / Owen Wilson comedy The Internship to score the top spot in the charts this weekend. With a thrifty budget of $3 million covered by the first night’s takings, The Purge now stands at $36.6 million. Despite seemingly low interest before its release in the States, the surprise hit now seems more likely than ever to spawn that planned sequel.
The Fast & Furious crew are still doing decent business, with Furious 6 adding $19.7 million this weekend, just ahead of heist pic Now You See Me, which slipped to third but still made $19.5 million. As for The Internship, the big reunion for Wedding Crasher****s stars Vaughn and Wilson didn't quite click with audiences, as the Shawn Levy film could only manage $18.1 million on its first weekend for a fourth place launch. They'll be hoping it has legs thanks to a PG-13 rating. Blue Sky 'toon Epic clung to fifth place with $12.1 million.
Star Trek Into Darkness fell to sixth, making $11.7 million and pushing its US total over $200 million. After Eart****h began what promises to be a rapid descent, landing in seventh with $11.2 million. The Hangover Part III was eighth, earning $7.3 million, while Iron Man 3 slipped to ninth with $5.7 million Rounding out the top ten was The Great Gatsby, which took in $4.2 million this weekend.
To see Ethan Hawke fight off the power of Google in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.