'Fate of the Furious' Outraces New Films at Box Office, Nears $1 Billion

"The Fate of the Furious" sped into first place at the box office again, leaving new thriller "Unforgettable" and historical drama "The Promise" in the dust.

Universal Pictures' eighth installment in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise earned $38.7 million in North American theaters over the weekend, down 61 percent from its debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The newcomers couldn't compete with the high-octane film, which had the biggest worldwide opening of all time last weekend. It has earned $908.4 million globally so far and is expected to cross $1 billion this week.

Holdovers dominated the charts on this quiet weekend in theaters. "The Boss Baby" took second place with $12.8 million, and "Beauty and the Beast" landed in third with $10 million.

Disney's animal documentary "Born in China" opened in fourth place, with $5.1 million from 1,508 locations. The two other new movies fared worse.

The Warner Bros. thriller "Unforgettable," starring Katherine Heigl as a jealous ex-wife and Rosario Dawson as the new fiancée, opened at No. 7, with just $4.8 million. Critics were tough on the film, and audiences gave it a deathly C rating on CinemaScore.

There is a silver lining for the studio. The buddy comedy "Going in Style," starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin, is chugging along after three weeks in theaters, taking fifth place with $5 million.

Meanwhile, the historical epic "The Promise," starring Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale, bombed with a mere $4.1 million from 2,251 theaters.

The movie delves into the mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey that many countries and most historians call genocide. Turkey still denies genocide, saying the deaths stemmed from civil unrest and war.

"It was a tough weekend in general for the newcomers," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, who said many moviegoers are likely saving up for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," which hits theaters May 5.

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"It's a quiet period," he added. "This is the interlude between the spring movie season and what promises to be the biggest summer movie season ever."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Fate of the Furious," $38.7 million ($163.4 million international).
2. "The Boss Baby," $12.8 million ($30 million international).
3. "Beauty and the Beast," $10 million ($22.9 million international).
4. "Born in China," $5.1 million ($100,000 international).
5. "Going in Style," $5 million ($4.6 million international).
6. "Smurfs: The Lost Village," $4.9 million ($21.4 million international).
7. "Unforgettable," $4.8 million ($1.7 million international).
8. "Gifted," $4.5 million.
9. "The Promise," $4.1 million.
10. "The Lost City of Z," $2.1 million.