'Furious 8' revs ahead to outpace three new releases

"The Fate of the Furious" continued to dominate the North American box office over the weekend, fending off newcomers at home while passing the $1 billion mark worldwide, data showed Monday.

The eighth installment in Universal's high-octane series starring Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took $19.9 million, Exhibitor Relations reported. The film has grossed $193.3 million domestically in three weeks.

"Furious 8," which had a record-breaking global debut weekend, sees Diesel's character coerced by a cyberterrorist played by Charlize Theron to turn against his own team.

The next two films, new releases, were led by Pantelion's "How to be a Latin Lover," a comedy starring Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, Kristen Bell and Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez.

It took in an estimated $12.3 million while fantasy "Baahubali: The Conclusion," a sequel to a 2015 movie and only the third Indian film released in Imax format, $10.4 million.

In fourth place, still performing strongly in its fifth week, is DreamWorks animation "The Boss Baby," which took in $9.4 million. The tale of rivalry between infants and puppies features Alec Baldwin as the voice of the tie-wearing baby-in-chief.

STX Entertainment's "The Circle," starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson in an exploration of privacy, paranoia and Silicon Valley ethics in a near-future world, earned $9 million for fifth spot.

The industry is awaiting the domestic release at the weekend of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," which took $106 million in foreign markets and is expected to outperform the original "Guardians," BoxOfficeMojo.com reported.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Beauty and the Beast" ($6.8 million)

"Going in Style" ($3.6 million)

"Smurfs: The Lost Village" ($3.6 million)

"Gifted" ($3.4 million)

"Unforgettable" ($2.4 million)

Source: AFP