The latest installment in the action-packed film franchise, starring Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, earned $97.4 million from Friday through Sunday, and an extra $20 million Monday, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
The Memorial Day holiday weekend, commemorating America's fallen soldiers, is seen as the unofficial start of summer in the United States.
"The Hangover Part III" was left a distant second despite opening a day early Thursday to avoid going head-to-head with "Fast & Furious." The third and final film in the series, given a thumbs down by many critics, took $41.7 million by Sunday, or $50.3 million including Monday.
Third place went to another sequel, "Star Trek: Into Darkness" which earned $37.3 million as it fell from first place last week. The film took in $47.2 million over four days.
Animated 3D family film "Epic" was in fourth place with $33.5 million in tickets sold, or $42.8 million including Monday.
Super-hero blockbuster sequel "Iron Man 3," starring Robert Downey Jr as the title character, took in $19.3 million ($24.7 million over four days) for the number five spot, while "The Great Gatsby," Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the literary classic, was sixth with $13.5 million ($17 million).
Seventh place was claimed by "Mud," a coming-of-age story starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, taking in $1.9 million, or $2.5 million including Monday.
"42" -- a biopic about trailblazing black baseball star Jackie Robinson -- was eighth, with $1.26 million in tickets sold, or $1.64 million over the four-day weekend.
The ninth spot went to "The Croods," a stone-age cartoon which earned $1.2 million, or $1.6 million over four days.
Rounding out the top 10 was "Oblivion," a post-apocalyptic action flick featuring Tom Cruise, which earned $869,000, or $1.04 million including Monday. -- Agence France-Presse
source: gmanetwork.com
