Universal's micro-budget horror film The Purge beats out director Shawn Levy’s The Internship at the North American box office.
Universal's micro-budgeted thriller The Purge, starring Ethan Hawke and Game of Thrones' Lena Headey, had no trouble scaring off the competition for first place, bringing in $34.1 million at the domestic box office. Written and directed by James DeMonaco, The Purge, which cost $3 million to make, is the first title to be released through Universal's partnership with Jason Blum, the producer behind the Paranormal Activity franchise.
Universal’s Fast & Furious 6 claimed the number two spot, grossing $19.6 million in its third weekend to race past the $200 million mark domestically. Overseas, the film is tied with new entry After Earth, grossing $45.3 million over three weeks for a worldwide total of $584.6 million.
In third place, magician caper Now You See Me, directed by Louis Leterrier and featuring an ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco, earned $19 million over its sophomore weekend for a total of $60.9 million.
Directed by Shawn Levy, The Internship came in fourth place with a muted opening, bringing 20th Century Fox and New Regency $17.3 million. The film, with a $58 million budget, reunited Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson for the first time since Wedding Crashers in 2005.
Animated feature Epic, produced by Fox Animation Studios and Blue Sky, came in fifth place on its third weekend out, earning $11.9 million for a domestic total of $83.9 million.
In sixth place, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness also jumped the $200 million mark in North America, grossing $11.7 million in its fourth weekend for a total of $200.1 million. Overseas, the film grossed $17.6 million for the weekend for an international take of $176.4 million, bringing the film’s worldwide total to $376.4 million.
Sony's sci-fi epic After Earth, starring Will Smith and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, came in seventh place during its sophomore weekend, bringing in $11.2 million for a domestic total of $46.6 million. Overseas, After Earth debuted to $45.5 million for a foreign total of $48.6 million and worldwide total of $95.2 million.
In eighth place, Warner Bros.' and Legendary's The Hangover Part III made $7.3 million during the film’s third weekend out for a domestic total of $102.3 million.
Disney and Marvel's Iron Man 3 came in ninth, making $5.8 million during its sixth weekend at the domestic box office for a total of $394.3 million.
Rounding out the list at number 10, Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures, brought in $4.2 million for a total of $136.2 million.
Box office numbers were obtained on boxofficemojo.com.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
