The US Box office was looking for a little something to give it a boost and it appears that the combination of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson was just what it needed. Pumping some serious nitro in ticket takings for the first time this year, Fast Five (or Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist) roared into first place this weekend with an impressive $83.6 million. The executives at Universal will also be cheering, since it’s the studio’s first big hit in a while. That sound you hear is the already idling engine of Fast Six being shoved into top gear, wheels spinning.
Despite being knocked off its perch, feathered ‘toon Rio held well, snagging an extra $14.4 million despite competition from another animated release this week (though not much competition, as it turns out). In third, Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family fell one place and too kin $10 million. Romantic drama Water for Elephants also took a single place tumble, but brushed itself off and made $9.1 million.
In fifth place, we find Disney’s latest tween-focused pic Prom, which didn’t have as much luck as the Mouse House might have liked, but still managed to launch with $5 million. That was enough to fight off seemingly unnecessary sequel Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs Evil, which failed to challenge Rio and made $4.1 million.
**Soul Surfer **rode the waves of change and managed to hang 10 at seventh place, earning $3.3 million while Insidious actually clawed its way back up from ninth to eighth with $2.6 million. Hop had a post-Easter slump, falling to ninth and $2.6 million, while Source Code held at 10th with $2.5 million.
If you’re looking for stats, go ask the people the FBI turns to and point that browser at Box Office Mojo.