'Fast Five' wins first place at the box office with $83 million

The summer movie season is gearing up for a big start as "Fast Five," the fifth film in the "The Fast and The Furious" franchise, has left the competition in the dust.

The film, which brings back original cast members Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster, nabbed $83.6 million in its box office debut to grab the top spot for the weekend, according to the Associated Press.

"At the end of the day the fans decide whether or not we come back," Walker told media outlets of the possibility of a six film at the "Fast Five" premiere in Rio De Janeiro on April 25. "We did the best job we could on this one. I'm proud of the work that we did and I hope the people appreciate it."

In the film Dwayne Johnson plays Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs who is on the heels of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian and Mia in Rio de Janeiro.

"I think the biggest pressure is to not disappoint the fans. We know that we can't give them the same old formula with just cars and Brian [Walker], me and Dom [Diesel], so we have to keep reinventing it," Brewster said at the film's premiere. She added, "We do so with the addition of Dwayne Johnson and bringing back characters like Ludacris' character and Tyrese's character."

According to the wire service the film was this year's biggest opening. Its debut was more than double the previous best of $39.2 million for "Rio."

"Fast Five" also set a record for best April debut ever, speeding past the $71 million haul of its predecessor, "Fast & Furious," two years ago.

Speaking of "Rio," the animated film which features the voice talents of Anne Hathaway and "The Social Network" star Jesse Eisenberg, it landed in second place for its third week at the box office with $14.4 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film crossed the $100 million mark in its third week of release and has a total box office haul of $103 million.

"Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" scored another $10.1 million for its second weekend at the box office, landing it in third place for the weekend and raising its cumulative sum to $41 million.

Reese Witherpoon and Robert Pattinson's "Water for Elephants" is still pulling in strong business, landing in fourth place with $9.1 million.

Rounding out the top five is "Prom," which was one of the few new releases to bow at the box office this weekend. The film took in $5 million.