‘Fifty Shades Freed’ easily wins the weekend box office

The final installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise had no problem claiming the top spot at the weekend box office.

Fifty Shades Freed opened right around was projected. The film brought in $38.8 million and continues the trend of declining franchises. This opening fell a bit short of 2017’s Fifty Shades Darker, which brought in $46.6 million. The first two films in the franchise went on to gross over $100 million domestically and I predict Freed will follow the same path.

The film also saw some international success bringing in almost $100 million from 57 different markets which now means the entire franchise has grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

Peter Rabbit opened in second place with a better than predicted opening weekend. The film brought in $25 million and considering the film has received excellent reviews we might see this film sticking around for a bit longer than expected.

Clint Eastwood’s The 15:17 to Paris opened in third place with $12.6 million. The film has received mediocre reviews and I predict that this film won't stay in the top five for very long.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle dropped three spots down to fourth place. The film only saw a 10 percent drop during its eighth week of release. The film brought in $9.8 million and is approaching $370 million domestically. It is inching closer to passing Spider-Man 2 to become Sony’s second highest grossing domestic release of all-time.

The Greatest Showman rounds out the top five during its eighth week of release. An impressive theatrical run saw this film also only drop 16.8% and brought in $6.4 million. The film is closing in on $150 million domestically.

Oscar nominees The Post and The Shape of Water remained in the top ten for another week. The Post dropped three spots to eighth place with $3.5 million while The Shape of Water remained in ninth place with $3 million.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure ($6 million), Winchester ($5.1 million) and Den of Thieves ($2.9 million) round out the top ten. Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi brought in $1.3 million and is still sitting right around $617 million domestically. It is going to be close to see if The Last Jedi can sneak past The Avengers on the all-time domestic release list.

It is certain that Marvel’s Black Panther will win the box office next weekend as we are now projecting an opening anywhere from $120-$150 million.

Weekend Gross by Distributor:

Universal: $39.6 million (+37.3%)

Sony Pictures: $34.8 million (+23.8%)

Warner Bros.: $16.5 million (+8.7%)

20th Century Fox: $16.3 million (-7.5%)

Fox Searchlight: $5.2 million (-2.2%)

CBS Films: $5.1 million (-4.2%)

STX Entertainment: $3.3 million (-2.2%)

Focus Features: $2.8 million (-1.8%)

Entertainment Studios: $2.7 million (-2.8%)

Disney: $2.3 million (-1.7%)

Neon: $1.6 million (-1%) 

Roadside Attractions: $1.3 million (n/a)

Next week’s openings: Black Panther, Early Man, Samson