“Fifty Shades Freed” leads weekend box office, pushes franchise earnings over $1 billion

Universal(LOS ANGELES) — Fifty Shades Freed, the third and final film in the racy Fifty Shades franchise, didn’t do as well during its opening weekend as its predecessor, Fifty Shades Darker, but its estimated $38.8 million take in the U.S. was good enough to take the top slot this weekend.  Darker, did $46.6 million in its first weekend.

Overseas, Fifty Shades Freed pulled in $98.1 million.  With Freed‘s worldwide opening-weekend take, the franchise, based on E.L. James’ erotic novels, now has earned more than $1 billion at the box office.

A decidedly different kind of literary adaptation took second place this weekend, as Peter Rabbit, Sony’s CGI-animated revamp of Beatrix Potter’s tale of a mischievous bunny, took second place with an estimated $25 million in the U.S.

The 15:17 to Paris, Clint Eastwood’s true-life tale of three Americans who thwarted a terrorist attack, starring the actual individuals involved, pulled in an estimated $12.6 million domestically, and $5.3 overseas.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, in its eighth week, continued to perform well, earning an estimated $9.8 million in the U.S., pushing its domestic earnings to date to more than $365 million. Internationally, the movie earned an estimated $7.5 million over the weekend, pushing its overseas earnings above $516 million and its total worldwide earnings to date to $880 million.

The Greatest Showman had a $6.4 million weekend in the U.S., good enough for fifth place.  The movie now has earned more than $145 million in the U.S.

Here are the top 10 movies from Friday through Sunday, with estimated weekend gross ticket sales:

1. Fifty Shades Freed, $38.8 million
2. Peter Rabbit, $25 million
3. The 15:17 to Paris, $12.6 million
4. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, $9.8 million
5. The Greatest Showman, $6.4 million
6. Maze Runner: The Death Cure, $6 million
7. Winchester, $5 million
8. The Post, $3.5 million
9. The Shape of Water, $3 million
10. Den of Thieves, $2.9 million

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