Black Panther kept up its record-setting ways in North American theaters over the weekend, easily defeating a challenge from another Disney product, newly released A Wrinkle in Time, to again dominate box offices, industry analysts said.
The Disney/Marvel superhero collaboration took in an estimated $41.1million for the three-day weekend, website Exhibitor Relations reported. That bumped it up to a domestic total of $562million in its four weeks out, making it the seventh biggest domestic release ever.
The film’s opening in China meantime boosted its international takings to $516.6million, pushing its overall total past the $1billion mark.
Black Panther defeats A Wrinkle In Time to top the U.S. box office for fourth straight week
Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as the superhero king of a utopian if fictional African country.
It is now the first movie since Star Wars: The Force Awakens to top North American box offices for four consecutive weekends.
A Wrinkle in Time, a science fantasy adventure that celebrates diversity and powerful women, took in $33.3million for its opening weekend.
Analysts said that was something of a letdown for a big-budget Disney film, despite it having garnered mixed reviews.
Icon in the making: It is now the first movie since Star Wars: The Force Awakens to top North American box offices for four consecutive weekends
The movie, about a search through time and space for a missing father, stars Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine.
Its director, Ava DuVernay, became the first black woman to helm a movie with a $100million budget, Hollywood Reporter said.
Black Panther, which was also directed by an African American, Ryan Coogler, had nearly twice that budget.
Let down: A Wrinkle in Time, a science fantasy adventure that celebrates diversity and powerful women, took in $33.3 million for its opening weekend
In third place this weekend was new horror film The Strangers: Prey at Night, from Aviron studios, which took in $10.5 million.
The poorly reviewed movie – Variety says it serves up ‘the same old meat-puppet gore and cattle-prod scares’ – stars Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson as a couple whose house is invaded by three masked men.
Next was Fox spy thriller Red Sparrow, with Jennifer Lawrence as a Russian ballerina-turned-elite spy.
The movie, which took in $8.2 million in its second week out, also stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeremy Irons and Charlotte Rampling.
And in fifth spot was comedy thriller Game Night from Warner Bros., starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, which netted $7.9 million.
Below are the weekend estimates:
1. Black Panther, $41.1 million ($100 million international).
2. A Wrinkle in Time, $33.3 million ($6.3 million international).
3. The Strangers: Prey At Night, $10.5 million ($140,000 international).
4. Red Sparrow, $8.2 million ($15.7 million international).
5. Game Night, $7.9 million ($5.4 million international).
6. Peter Rabbit, $6.8 million ($4.8 million international).
7. Death Wish, $6.6 million ($3 million international).
8. The Hurricane Heist, $3.2 million ($1.9 million international).
9. Annihilation, $3.2 million.
10. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, $2.8 million.