Fast Five Races To Box Office Gold
LOS ANGELES (CBS4) - "Fast Five" has left the competition in the dust with an $83.6 million debut to grab the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office.
Studio estimates released Sunday show Universal Pictures' fifth movie in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise was by far this year's biggest opening. Its debut was more than double the previous best of $39.2 million for "Rio."
"Fast Five" also set a record for best April debut ever, speeding past the $71 million haul of its predecessor, "Fast & Furious," two years ago.
The movie gave Hollywood a huge head-start on the summer season, which begins with next weekend's debut of the Paramount Pictures superhero saga "Thor."
"Fast Five" has added $81.4 million overseas to bring its worldwide total to $165 million.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
