Erotic '50 Shades' dominates weekend
LOS ANGELES — “Fifty Shades of Grey” didn’t relinquish control of the box office.
Universal’s erotic drama starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan earned $23.2 million at No. 1 in its second weekend at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. Despite the victory, “Fifty Shades of Grey” plummeted a steep 75 percent from its record-breaking $93 million debut last weekend.
“There was a pent-up demand and excitement for ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ last weekend, so this was its destiny after it broke the box-office record for the biggest opening in February and didn’t have the added bonus of a holiday weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian of box office firm Rentrak.
The action spy film “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and the family friendly “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” similarly maintained their respective No. 2 and No. 3 spots at the box office in their second weekend.
Estimated weekend sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak, were:
1. “Fifty Shades of Grey,” $23.2 million
2. “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” $17.5 million
3. “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” $15.5 million
4. “McFarland, USA,” $11.3 million
5. “The DUFF,” $11 million
6. “American Sniper,” $9.6 million
7. “Hot Tub Time Machine 2,” $5.8 million
8. “Jupiter Ascending,” $3.6 million
9. “The Imitation Game,” $2.5 million
10. “Paddington,” $2.3 million
