“Now You See Me”‘s midnight screening victor over “After Earth” was not a one-time thing.
Despite modest reviews of its own, the film managed to again overperform at the box office Friday, earning $10.1 million in receipts. Though slightly behind the $10.5 million haul for “Fast and Furious 6,” its gross was enough to steal second place away from “Earth.” The Will Smith-starrer earned only $9.8 million.
The race will be tight as the weekend continues, but it now appears “After Earth” will fall short of even its unimpressive $35 million tracking figure, while “Now You See Me” will exeed its low-$20 million expectations. “Fast and Furious 6,” meanwhile, should still win the weekend box office race even though its Friday performance was not as dominant as many expected.
“The Hangover Part III” ($5.2 million) and “Star Trek Into Darkness” ($4.4 million) ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, on Friday.