Ethan Hawke horror-thriller "The Purge" claims box office victory

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ethan Hawke scores his first biggest opening weekend ever with "The Purge". Unfavorable among critics, the horror-thriller film from director James DeMonaco opens to a stunning $36.4 million as estimated. Produced for merely $3 million, it shockingly steals top honor from reigning box office champion "Fast and Furious 6", AceShowbiz said.

Dave Karger, chief correspondent for the movie ticket site Fandango.com, points out the key success of "The Purge", saying that the it factor is placed on its intriguing premise - what if all crime was legal for 12 hours once a year? "The concept is so different. It makes people want to see the movie," Karger tells USA Today.

"The Internship", meanwhile, debuts to a disappointing result. Receiving poor reviews from critics, the latest comedy from duo Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson takes the fourth slot with approximately $18.1 million and a B+ grade at CinemaScore, meaning that audience are not that interested enough in it.

"Fast 6" is forced to sit at No. 2 in its third week, trailing behind the low-budget horror movie with an estimated $19.8 million. As for "Now You See Me", the magicians-turned-thieves film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher snatches another $19.5 million approximately in its second run.

Blue Sky Studios' "Epic" rounds up the top five with an estimated $12.1 million for its third week.