‘Black Panther’ Joins ‘Titanic,’ ‘Sixth Sense’ and ‘Avatar’ for Rare Five-Peat
Marvel’s latest superhero continues to make history once again. For a fifth consecutive weekend, Black Panther remained at the top of the box office, adding another $27 million.
Black Panther can now join Titanic, The Sixth Sense and Avatar as fourth film over the past 20 years to top the box office for fifth straight weekends. After keeping A Wrinkle in Time and Tomb Raider at bay, Black Panther found its way over the $600 million mark. This weekend proved to be the film’s best hold to date, down only 33.8%. By next weekend, Black Panther will have no problems topping The Avengers as the highest-grossing superhero movie ever. Though that stay may be cut short by Avengers: Infinity War, due out in late April. One still cannot rule out a finish above $650 million.
Back in 2001, Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider was one of the biggest hits of that year. Fast forward 17 years later and the latest reboot wasn’t a big of a draw. Alicia Vikander’s Tomb Raider debuted this weekend with $23.5 million. In perspective, Lara Croft Tomb Raider opened to $47.7 million, while Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life debuted to $21.8 million. In 2018 numbers, the latter would open up to about $33 million. On the plus side, it is Vikander’s second-largest opener behind Jason Bourne ($59.2 million). Critics and audiences were both mixed. The film received a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a B on CinemaScore. The releases of Pacific Rim: Uprising and Ready Player One won’t help any sort of legs. And of course, Black Panther is expected to roll on through March.
With Easter just around the corner, Roadside Attractions capitalized on another faith-based film in I Can Only Imagine. Like other genre films, I Can Only Imagine broke out much bigger than expected, debuting with $17.1 million. Faith-based films typically hold quite well, especially nearing religious holidays. I Can Only Imagine should be no exception to the rule. However, with Paul, Apostle of Christ and God’s Not Dead 3 due out over the next two weeks, there might be some fierce competition in the genre. Audiences and critics were split over the film. I Can Only Imagine scored a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, while garnering an A+ on CinemaScore. If all goes well, I Can Only Imagine could wind up with a $50 million run.
After an okay debut last weekend, Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time dropped two spots to fourth. Down 50%, A Wrinkle in Time grossed another $16.6 million over the weekend, bringing its 10-day total to $61.1 million. Disney’s spring heavy hitters like Cinderella (-48.5%), The Jungle Book (-40.4%) and Beauty and the Beast (-48.3%) held slightly better in the respectable sophomore frames. A run like last year’s Beauty and the Beast keeps A Wrinkle in Time under the century mark. Spring break dailies could make or break a $100 million run.
Faced against two other major releases and an unstoppable Black Panther, Fox’s romantic comedy-drama Love, Simon rounded out the charts this weekend. The LGBT teen flick debuted with about $11.5 million. Critical acclaim and last week’s early sneak peeks couldn’t conjure up a stronger haul though. The film, however, did pull in a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a rare A+ on CinemaScore. Perhaps word-of-mouth will help over the coming weeks, but next week will be equally loaded.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s
#1 – Black Panther (1)
$27.0 million / $605.4 million total
#2 – Tomb Raider (NR)
$23.5 million / $23.5 million total
#3 – I Can Only Imagine (NR)
$17.1 million / $17.1 million total
#4 – A Wrinkle in Time (2)
$16.6 million / $61.1 million total
#5 – Love, Simon (NR)
$11.5 million / $11.5 million total
Opening Next Week: Midnight Sun, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Sherlock Gnomes, Paul, Apostle of Christ
Source: Box Office Mojo
