LOS ANGELES -- Furious 7 took another victory lap at the domestic box office last weekend, but The Avengers: Age of Ultron crushed competitors overseas, launching to an estimated $201.2 million in its first weekend in foreign markets.
That has moviegoers and industry watchers even more geared up for this weekend, when Age of Ultron debuts in the U.S. and Canada.
Disney said Sunday that its new Avengers sequel has set records overseas, exceeding the 2012 Avengers movie by 44 percent at today's exchange rates. Age of Ultron also set an Imax box-office record for the largest non-China international opening of all time with a per-screen average of $60,000 in ticket sales.
It was the No. 1 movie in all territories that it opened in, including France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Australia, South Korea, Argentina and Brazil. The momentum overseas likely will help drive the domestic box office.
The Marvel sequel brings back superheroes Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).
In its fourth weekend, Furious 7 added $18.3 million to its total domestic haul, now an estimated $320.5 million. The film has stayed No. 1 in the U.S. thanks to positive critical reviews, an A grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore and dedicated fans who have seen the movie multiple times.
Sony Pictures' Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 stayed strong in second place domestically, dropping only 35 percent from its debut weekend and adding $15.5 million.
The sequel, which cost a relatively modest $30 million to make, stars Kevin James reprising his role as a security guard. Directed by Andy Fickman and released six years after its predecessor, the film follows Blart while he is on vacation with his family in Las Vegas. It co-stars Shirley Knight, Raini Rodriguez and Neal McDonough.
Moviegoers gave the film a B-minus on CinemaScore. To date, the PG-rated action comedy has made about $43.9 million in the U.S. and Canada.
Coming in at third, Lionsgate's new The Age of Adaline met tracking expectations with a launch of about $13.4 million.
Directed by Lee Toland Krieger, the film follows Adaline (Blake Lively), who has remained 29 years old for eight decades. It co-stars Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew and Ellen Burstyn.
The fantasy drama, which cost $30 million to make, marks Lively's return to the big screen after the 2012 Oliver Stone film Savages.
The Age of Adaline fared well with moviegoers, with audiences giving it an A-minus rating on CinemaScore. The film played largely to women: An estimated 75 percent of the audience was female, and 58 percent of moviegoers were older than 25.
DreamWorks Animation's Home came in fourth. The film, released by Twentieth Century Fox, dropped a mere 22 percent from the previous weekend, adding an additional $8.3 million in its fifth weekend. It has collected about $153.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it a much-needed win for the Jeffrey Katzenberg-owned DreamWorks Animation.
Rounding out the top five, Universal's thriller Unfriended dropped 61 percent from its debut weekend with a weekend gross of $6.2 million. However, with a $1 million budget, the film is already a hit for the studio. It has earned $25.2 million to date in the U.S. and Canada.
The well-reviewed artificial intelligence tale Ex Machina, from A24, surged 581 percent after it expanded from limited release. The film, which came in sixth at the box office, collected $5.4 million over the weekend and raised its total haul to $6.9 million. The film is drawing a core group ages 25 to 34, skewing male.
Also in theaters, World War II drama Little Boy, distributed by Open Road Films, met tracking expectations with a $2.8 million launch in about 1,000 theaters.
In limited release, the Russell Crowe-directed drama The Water Diviner made about $1.2 million in 320 locations.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Furious 7, Universal, $18,259,360, 3,808 locations, $4,680 average, $320,536,125, four weeks.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, Sony, $15,500,000, 3,633 locations, $4,067 average, $43,948,184, two weeks.
The Age Of Adaline, Lionsgate, $13,375,000, 2,991 locations, $4,414 average, $13,375,000, one week.
Home, 20th Century Fox, $8,300,000, 3,311 locations, $2,418 average, $153,784,071, five weeks.
Unfriended, Universal, $6,243,750, 2,775 locations, $2,220 average, $25,157,515, two weeks.
Ex Machina, A24 Films, $5,441,452, 1,255 locations, $4,263 average, $6,919,883, three weeks.
The Longest Ride, 20th Century Fox, $4,365,000, 3,140 locations, $1,356 average, $30,397,839, three weeks.
Get Hard, Warner Bros., $3,905,000, 2,276 locations, $1,652 average, $84,066,240, five weeks.
Monkey Kingdom, Disney, $3,551,000, 2,012 locations, $1,711 average, $10,148,952, two weeks.
Woman In Gold, The Weinstein Co., $3,501,000, 1,981 locations, $1,699 average, $21,634,779, four weeks.
The Divergent Series: Insurgent, Lionsgate, $3,075,000, 2,086 locations, $1,423 average, $124,885,040, six weeks.
Cinderella, Disney, $2,851,000, 2,019 locations, $1,370 average, $190,646,000, seven weeks.
Little Boy, Open Road, $2,750,356, 1,045 locations, $2,632 average, $2,750,356, one week.
The Water Diviner, Warner Bros., $1,220,335, 320 locations, $3,814 average, $1,220,335, one week.
True Story, Fox Searchlight, $1,142,540, 856 locations, $1,335 average, $3,807,508, two weeks.
While We're Young, A24 Films, $1,090,736, 762 locations, $1,431 average, $5,699,465, five weeks.
Kingsman: The Secret Service, 20th Century Fox, $554,747, 425 locations, $1,305 average, $126,475,263, 11 week.
Danny Collins, Bleecker Street, $440,729, 396 locations, $1,113 average, $4,733,274, six weeks.
American Sniper, Warner Bros., $374,599, 403 locations, $930 average, $348,295,277, 18 weeks.
It Follows, Radius-TWC, $372,851, 401 locations, $930 average, $14,030,820, seven weeks.
MovieStyle on 05/01/2015