LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Universal's "Fifty Shades Freed" dominated North American box office in its opening weekend with an estimated 38.8 million U.S. dollars, pushing the "Fifty Shades" franchise total to over 1 billion U.S. dollars worldwide.
Based on the novel of the same name, "Fifty Shades Freed" is an erotic romantic film directed by James Foley and stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey respectively.
The third and final installment in the "Fifty Shades" franchise generated a B+ CinemaScore with an audience that was 75 percent female. The first film in the series, 2015's "Fifty Shades of Grey," brought in a massive 85 million dollars in its opening weekend and grossed more than 166 million dollars in North America and 571 million worldwide in total against a budget of only 40 million dollars. "Fifty Shades Darker" opened with a 46.6 million dollars weekend in North America in 2017.
"Fifty Shades Freed" brought in 98.1 million dollars internationally in 57 territories for a combined global total of 136.9 million dollars to date, according to the studio figures collected by comScore.
Sony's animated adventure comedy film "Peter Rabbit" opened in second place with an estimated 25 million dollars in its first weekend. Directed by Will Gluck, "Peter Rabbit" is based on the stories of the character of the same name created by Beatrix Potter. The film features voice roles played by James Corden, Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie, and Elizabeth Debicki, and live action roles played by Domhnall Gleeson, Rose Byrne, and Sam Neill.
Another newcomer, Warner Bros.' "The 15:17 To Paris" opened in third place with an estimated 12.6 million dollars. The biographical drama film was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood. The film tells the stunning story of real-life heroism by three young American passengers who thwarted a terrorist attack on a train bound for Paris on August 21, 2015.
Sony's action adventure comedy film "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" dropped to fourth place with an estimated 9.82 million dollars in its eighth weekend, taking in an impressive 365.7 million dollars in North America to date.
20th Century Fox's musical biopic "The Greatest Showman" finished fifth with an estimated 6.4 million dollars in its eighth weekend.
