A week-over-week decline of 51% did not prevent “Furious 7” from winning a third straight weekend box office race.
The blockbuster tops this weekend’s box office on the strength of its $29.1 million in estimated receipts. Enough to bring the film’s cumulative total to $294.4 million, the weekend tally also held off new releases “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” and “Unfriended.”
The former, which is the weekend’s runner-up, earned $24.0 million. The film’s 2009 predecessor “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” grossed $31.8 million in its first weekend of release.
With $16.0 million in weekend receipts, new release “Unfriended” grabs third place at the box office. “Home” (#4, $10.3 million) and “The Longest Ride” (#5, $6.9 million) complete the top five.
Other notables:
— Disneynature’s “Monkey Kingdom” debuts at #7 on the strength of its $4.7 million in receipts. 2014’s “Bears” opened with a similar $4.8 million.
— “True Story,” which launched on 831 screens, earned $1.9 million. It grabs #11.
— “Child 44” earned $0.6 million from 510 screens. It debuts at #17.