'Fifty Shades Freed' Climaxes With Limp Franchise Finale [Box Office]

The pop culture sensation of 2011 is now the erotic film franchise nobody wants to get into bed with. Let “Fifty Shades Freed” be a cautionary tale for Hollywood executives who try to capture a cultural moment that has little substance or lasting power.

The final chapter in the sexytimes series debuted with a weak $38 million, but it was enough to capture the top spot at the box office this weekend. It continues the precipitous drop in interest the franchise has faced, since “Fifty Shades Of Grey” debuted with $85 million. Bad reviews coupled with poorly received notices from both critics and audiences saw followup “Fifty Shades Darker” launch with $46 million, and it looks like whatever audience was left that came out for that movie, mostly turned up for this one. As always, however, international audiences are taking up the slack. ‘Freed’ tallied $98 million abroad bringing its total weekend haul to $136 million. ‘Darker’ wound up with $381 million worldwide (seriously), and while ‘Freed’ probably won’t get that high, it may end up doing bigger numbers than you think.

Parents needed something to take the kids to see, so they opted for “Peter Rabbit,” which earned a solid $25 million. I’m still a little disappointed that audiences didn’t choose the other British kid’s movie to see instead (I’m talking about “Paddington 2“), but Sony will likely be pleased with that result. Expect this one to pad out the numbers in the weeks ahead, especially with little in the way of family entertainment on the horizon.

Not many moviegoers were interested in boarding the “The 15:17 To Paris.” Clint Eastwood‘s terrorism drama only managed $12.6 million at the multiplex. It’s the filmmaker’s worst opening since “J. Edgar,” but Warner Bros. won’t be too concerned. Clint comes in on time, on budget, and his movies usually tend to break even or turn a small profit. And given the decision to release the movie in the dead corridor of winter, the studio has been aware for a while now that this wasn’t an awards contender or even something that might be a box office hit.

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 ($365.6 mil.)
5. “The Greatest Showman” — $6.4 million ($146.5 mil.)
6. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” — $6 million ($49 mil.)
7. “Winchester” — $5 million ($17.1 mil.)
8. “The Post” — $3.5 million ($72.8 mil.)
9. “The Shape Of Water” — $3 million ($49.7 mil.)
10. “Den Of Thieves” — $2.8 million ($40.9 mil.)