‘How to Be a Latin Lover’ Edges Tom Hanks’ ‘The Circle’ at Thursday Box Office

The romantic comedy “How to Be a Latin Lover” topped the Tom Hanks-Emma Watson thriller “The Circle” on Thursday night.

“Latin Lover” grossed $450,000 at 925 U.S. locations, while “Circle” took in $430,000.

Both new movies are expected to trail “The Fate of the Furious” this weekend, which should land in the $15 million to $20 million range during Friday-Sunday. The eighth film in Universal’s “The Fast and the Furious” franchise has topped $171 million domestically in its first 13 days.

“The Circle,” from STX and EuropaCorp, opens at 3,163 venues, and is projected to reel in between $10 million and $15 million. The movie, which premiered on Wednesday at the Tribeca Film Festival, has a relatively thrifty $18 million budget.

“The Circle” is set in the near-future and stars Hanks as the founder of a Silicon Valley social media company, with Watson portraying an employee who finds herself in a dilemma over privacy and tech ethics. Dave Eggers co-wrote the screenplay, based on his book of the same name. James Ponsoldt (“The Spectacular Now”) directed and produced the movie.

Pantelion, a joint venture between Lionsgate and Mexico-based Televisa, is releasing “How to Be a Latin Lover,” which is expected to bow to about $7 million at 1,118 sites. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Ken Marino, and stars Eugenio Derbez, Salma Hayek, Rob Lowe, and Kristen Bell.

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