( EW.com ) -- Many assumed that the weekend before the debut of `` Man of Steel '' would be a calm one at the box office , but that was not the case . Universal 's thriller `` The Purge '' surged into the top spot this weekend and shattered all expectations with a massive $ 36.4 million debut . The film , produced by `` Paranormal Activity '' mastermind Jason Blum , cost only $ 3 million to make , and because its marketing campaign was predominantly digital ( read : inexpensive ) , the micro-budgeted film will become a hugely profitable release for the currently on-fire Universal . `` The Purge '' had an intriguing premise : for one night every year , all crime ( including murder ) is legal . Universal 's marketing team effectively communicated that twisted plot in trailers and ads , and the premise helped pack theaters , though it did n't deliver on audiences ' high expectations . Crowds issued the film a discouraging `` C '' CinemaScore grade , and the film sank 38 percent from Friday to Saturday — a sign of poor word-of-mouth . `` The Purge '' gave star Ethan Hawke his best opening weekend ever — trouncing `` Training Day '' 's $ 22.6 million debut in 2001 . Hawke also thrived on the indie circuit this weekend , as his film `` Before Midnight '' scored $ 585,000 from just 52 locations for an early $ 1.5 million total . `` Before Midnight '' 's robust $ 11,243 per theater average trailed only one other film in the Top 20 : `` The Purge , '' which had a sizzling $ 14,353 average at its 2,536 locations . EW : The four emotional stages of watching 'The Purge ' Universal reports that audiences for `` The Purge '' were quite diverse , with Hispanic moviegoers making up 33 percent of ticket buyers . Interestingly , the film also played predominantly to women , who accounted for 56 percent of the audience . Another Universal film held strong in second place . `` Fast & Furious 6 '' decelerated by a healthy 44 percent to $ 19.8 million and has now earned $ 203 million total after three weekends . The $ 160 million sequel is just days away from surpassing `` Fast Five '' 's $ 209 million domestic cume , and with $ 584.6 million globally , it will soon race past Five 's $ 626.1 million worldwide total . Notably , `` Fast & Furious 6 '' gave star Dwayne `` The Rock '' Johnson his 16th straight week in the Top 10 . Last weekend 's surprise breakout `` Now You See Me '' worked some more box-office magic in its second weekend . Summit 's $ 80 million thriller declined just 34 percent to $ 19.5 million , giving the magician thriller a $ 61.4 million total after 10 days . With a few more weeks of sturdy holds like this , `` Now You See Me '' could become an impressive $ 100 million hit . EW : 20 scariest movies of all time . Fox 's Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy `` The Internship '' opened in fourth place with $ 18.1 million , a somewhat tepid result from the duo that helped `` Wedding Crashers '' debut with $ 33.9 million back in 2005 . Google , which is featured throughout the film , is likely used to better launches . While `` The Internship '' did exceed Fox 's modest expectations , its mild $ 5,377 per theater average and the looming competitor `` This is the End '' may hurt its box office longevity . On the bright side , The $ 58 million comedy did earn a `` B+ '' CinemaScore grade from audiences , which were split 50/50 between males and females and were 61 percent above the age of 25 . Spending one final weekend in the Top 5 was Epic , which dipped only 27 percent ( the smallest drop in the Top 10 ) to $ 12.1 million . After three weekends , the $ 100 million animated film has earned $ 84.2 million . 1 . The Purge -- $ 36.4 million . 2 . Fast & Furious 6 -- $ 19.8 million . 3 . Now You See Me -- $ 19.5 million . 4 . The Internship -- $ 18.1 million . 5 . Epic -- $ 12.1 million . In milestone news , `` Star Trek Into Darkness '' passed the $ 200 million mark . Thanks to the J.J. Abrams-directed film ' $ 11.7 million weekend , Darkness has now earned $ 200.1 million domestically , and it 's running a tad behind 2009′s `` Star Trek , '' which had earned $ 209.3 million at the same point in its run . In limited release , Joss Whedon 's Shakespeare adaptation `` Much Ado About Nothing '' fared very well in five theaters , earning $ 183,000 — enough for a $ 36,600 per theater average . The black-and-white film starring Nathan Fillion and Alexis Denisof will expand over the next few weeks . Check back next week for full box office coverage of `` Man of Steel '' and `` This is the End . '' See the original story at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
`` The Purge '' surged into the top box office spot this weekend . `` Fast & Furious 6 '' held strong in second place . `` Now You See Me '' came in third , while `` The Internship '' opened in fourth place .