'Cars 3' wins the weekend box office as the Tupac biopic surprises and 'Rough Night' bombs
The latest movie in the "Cars" franchise took in an estimated $53 million, according to Exhibitor Relations, the lowest opening for any "Cars" movie.
In second place with $40 million is "Wonder Woman," which continues to be a cash cow for Warner Bros./DCEU with a domestic total of $274 million and over $500 million worldwide.
But then things get interesting. In a surprising third place with $27 million is "All Eyez on Me," the biopic on the late rapper, Tupac Shakur. After years in development hell and numerous directors attached (including John Singleton and Antoine Fuqua), the movie finally hit theaters with weekend with music video director Benny Boom at the helm. It proved audiences have a hunger for a Tupac movie as much as they do for his music.
So, despite its 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences flocked to see actor Demetrius Shipp Jr.'s on-the-nose performance of Tupac and the rapper's numerous featured tracks in the movie.
Though these kind of movies historically never do well in theaters (everyone waits until these titles hit cable/streaming), Sony was hoping with a cast that included Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, and "Broad City" star Ilana Glazer, there would be a lot of girls' night out treks to the movies.
Sadly, more people went to see the low budget thriller "47 Meters Down," starring Mandy Moore and a whole bunch of sharks chasing her. The movie edged past "Rough Night," taking in $11.5 million.