‘Fast and Furious’ Races to No. 1

Just like the turbocharged Japanese imports hurtling across the screen, Universal Pictures’ new youth-oriented action film, “The Fast and the Furious,” roared across the finish line to easily capture first place at the weekend box office.

The surprise hit of the early summer, “The Fast and the Furious” was produced on a modest budget and contains no stars, but the Rob Cohen-directed film clicked with its young audience and crossed multicultural lines to gross $40.1 million.

The Eddie Murphy comedy “Dr. Dolittle 2” debuted in second place with a solid $25 million, which is good news for 20th Century Fox, considering the movie is a sequel. Last week’s top film, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” dropped sharply in its second week, but business for kid-friendly films ‘Altantis” and “Shrek” held steady.

“The Princess and the Warrior” debuted in limited release with $51,426.

*--*

Three-day Movie gross/Total Screens/ Weeks in (Studio) (millions) Average Release 1. “The Fast and the Furious” $40.1 2,628 1 (Universal) $40.1 $15,255 2. “Dr. Dolittle 2” $25.0 3,049 1 (Fox) $25.0 $8,212 3. “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” $19.8 3,312 2 (Paramount) $83.8 $5,974 4. “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” $12.6 3,071 3 (Disney) $43.7 $4,098 5. “Shrek” $10.4 3,007 6 (DreamWorks) $215.2 $3,461 6. “Swordfish” $7.7 2,660 3 (Warner Bros.) $53.2 $2,902 7. “Pearl Harbor” $6.8 2,668 5 (Disney/Touchstone) $171.9 $2,556 8. “Moulin Rouge” $3.9 1,585 6 (Fox) $43.4 $2,430 9. “Evolution” $3.3 2,258 3 (DreamWorks) $32.3 $1,456 10.’The Animal” $2.9 2,228 4 (Sony/Columbia) $51.2 $1,307 ‘The Princess and the Warrior” $51,426 3 1 (Sony Classics) $51,426 $17,142

*--*

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.