UPDATED, Saturday, 7:13 AM: Furious 7 raced in with an estimated Friday gross of $8.28M to $8.4M on a three-day trajectory of what looks like $26M to $28M for Universal. The Vin Diesel-driven ensemble has paid off extremely well for the studio, which seems to be the only one in town who are opening their sequels higher than the original this year. Helluva marketing and distribution team there.

Meanwhile, Sonys sequel to Paul Blart Mall Cop bagged $7.3M yesterday. Estimates have this Kevin James laffer heading anywhere to $22.8M to $23.6M when malls close on Sunday which was on the high end of estimates on Wednesday and welcome news for the Culver City-based studio. Also welcome news for James as its his best opening for a film that he has shouldered in five years since Zookeeper which opened to $20M+ in 2011. Universal and Blumhouses Unfriended should drop today as most of these horror films are Friday front loaded. With a little under $7M yesterday, this social media scarefest could end the weekend around $16.5M.

The last newcomer is Disneynatures Monkey Kingdom which should get a slight boost today from family audiences. Yesterday, it swung in with $1.5M on its way to around $4.7M for the weekend. This film is playing just like Bears which opened last year with a Friday of $1.34M and ended its opening weekend with $4.7M.

Foxs The Longest Ride saddled up on Friday with $2.4M on its way to a $6.9M second weekend. The total cume this weekend for the film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel will be roughly $23.6M. It is dropping about 47% which is stronger than many expected.

Ex Machina from A24 is one of the gems in the bunch this weekend. The sci-fi thriller from writer/director Alex Garland expanded this weekend to take $281K on 39 runs for a per screen average of around $20K to $22K, depending how the weekend plays out. It moved up a couple of notches from last night from No. 15 to No. 13. It opens wide next weekend.

The chart follows:

1).Furious 7(UNI), 3,964 theaters (-58%) / $8.28M to $8.4M Friday / 3-day cume: $26M to $28M / Total cume: $291M to $293.8M/ Wk 3

2). Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 (SONY), 3,633 theaters / $7.3M Friday / 3-day cume: $22.8M to $23.6M / Wk 1

3). Unfriended (UNI), 2,739 theaters / $6.7M to $6.8M Friday / 3-day cume: $16.5M / Wk 1

4). Home(FOX/DW), 3,488 theaters (-215) / $2.4M Friday / 3-day cume: $9M to $10M / Total cume: $141.6M to $142M+ / Wk 4

5). The Longest Ride(FOX), 3,371 theaters (+5) /$2.4M Fri. / 3-day cume: $6.9M (-47%) / Total cume: $23.6M / Wk 2

6). Monkey Kingdom (DIS), 2,012 theaters / $1.5M Fri. / 3-day cume: $4.7M / Wk 1

7).Get Hard(WB), 2,655 theaters (-477) /$1.4M Friday / 3-day cume: $4.6M / Total cume: $78M+ / Wk 4

8). Woman in Gold (TWC), 2011 theaters (+507) / $1.3M Friday / 3-day cume: $4.25M / Total cume: $15.58M / Wk 3

9/10). Cinderella(DIS), 2,414 theaters (-611) / $1M Friday / 3-day cume: $3.8M to $4.1M / Total cume: $186M+ / Wk 6

Insurgent(LG), 2,542 theaters (-576) /$1.2M Friday / 3-day cume: $4M / Total cume: $120M+ / Wk 5

15).Ex Machina(A24), 39 theaters (+35) / $281K Fri. / 3-day cume: $780K to $890K / Per screen: $20K to $22K / Total cume: $1M+ / Wk 2

Amanda NDuka contributed to this report.

PREVIOUSLY, Friday, 11: 20 PM: After three weekends in release Furious 7 is still No. 1 with a Friday box office haul of about $8M on a trek to a possible three-day weekend of $26.8M to $27.2M for Universal which is celebrating today its first ever $1B worldwide box office on a picture. That will put its domestic cume at around $292.6M. Meanwhile, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 is, as expected, the No. 2 movie of the weekend, opening to a strong $7M Friday for a better than anticipated $22.5M weekend for Sony. And after a week of being re-victimized all over again, Im sure it is a little bit of welcome news for the studio. Hang in there, guys. It received a B- CinemaScore.

The other newbies, Universal/Blumhouses Unfriended is likely to scare in around $6M to $7M today with late night horror crowds having come in late to bolster the gross. This R-rated, smaller-budgeted film will likely slack off a bit tomorrow (as most films in the genre do). So look for a weekend cume around $14M to $16M. Like most of these horror films, it ended up with C CinemaScore.

Disneynatures Monkey Kingdom with a nice A- CinemaScore should open in the sixth slot behind Home and the second weekend of the Nicholas Sparks-based film The Longest Ride (which is holding strong with only about a 47% dip). It has, of course, that Scott Eastwood factor. Monkey Kingdom is coming in, as anticipated earlier in the week, to around $4.6M.

The other film that we told you that we would follow throughout this weekend is A24s surprise sci-fi hit Ex Machina which expanded into 39 runs and is still having the best per screen average of the Top 20 with an esimated $15K+. Thats how they look tonight with numbers changing likely in the AM. Heres the chart:

Amanda NDuka contributed to this report.

1).Furious 7(UNI), 3,964 theaters (-58%) / $8M Friday / 3-day cume: $26.8M to $27.2M / Total cume: $292.2 to $292.6M/ Wk 3

2). Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 (SONY), 3,633 theaters / $7M Friday / 3-day cume: $22M+ / Wk 1

3). Unfriended (UNI), 2,739 theaters / $6M to $7M Friday / 3-day cume: $14M to $16M / Wk 1

4). Home(FOX/DW), 3,488 theaters (-215) / $2.25M Friday / 3-day cume: $9.3M / Total cume: $141.6M / Wk 4

5). The Longest Ride(FOX), 3,371 theaters (+5) /$2.4M Fri. / 3-day cume: $6.9M (-47%) / Total cume: $23.6M / Wk 2

6). Monkey Kingdom (DIS), 2,012 theaters / $1.5M Fri. / 3-day cume: $4.6M / Wk 1

7).Get Hard(WB), 2,655 theaters (-477) /$1.35M Friday / 3-day cume: $4.4M / Total cume: $77.9M / Wk 4

8). Woman in Gold (TWC), 2011 theaters (+507) / $1.3M Friday / 3-day cume: $4M+ / Total cume: $15.5M / Wk 3

9/10). Cinderella(DIS), 2,414 theaters (-611) / $1M Friday / 3-day cume: $3.8M to $4M / Total cume: $186.6M / Wk 6

Insurgent(LG), 2,542 theaters (-576) /$1.15M Friday / 3-day cume: $3.8M / Total cume: $120.3M / Wk 5

15).Ex Machina(A24), 39 theaters (+35) / $210K Fri. / 3-day cume: $621K / Per screen: $15,912 / Total cume: $948K / Wk 2

Source: http://deadline.com/2015/04/paul-blart-mall-cop-2-unfriended-furious-7-box-office-1201411948/