“Black Panther” is now the first film since “Avatar” in 2010 to take the No. 1 spot at the box office for five consecutive weeks, earning $27 million this weekend to pass the $600 million mark domestically.
With a total of $605 million, the film will pass the $623 million made by “The Avengers” sometime this week, making it the top superhero movie on the domestic charts. At 31 days, it’s the second-fastest film to gross $600 million domestically, sitting only behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Overseas, the film is approaching the $100 million mark in China with a $96 million total after 10 days, giving it a $577 million international haul and a $1.18 billion global total. That puts it past the $1.15 billion made by “Captain America: Civil War” two years ago and places it in the top 15 on the all-time global charts. Next on the list is “Iron Man 3” with $1.21 billion.
In second place this week is Warner Bros./MGM’s “Tomb Raider,” opening to $23.5 million from 3,854 screens. With a $90 million budget and mediocre critical reception — 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a B on CinemaScore — “Tomb Raider” will need help from overseas markets to turn enough of a profit to keep the franchise going. So far, it’s getting that help with $84.5 million from 65 markets this weekend and is highest internationally among all films. China leads the way with $41.1 million, putting it in WB’s top 10 highest openings in that market. The film now has a global total of $126 million, with a release in Japan coming this Wednesday.
In third place is Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate’s faith-based film “I Can Only Imagine,” taking in an impressive $17 million from 1,620 screens. The $7 million film had been projected by trackers to make $5-6 million, but has earned huge word of mouth among Christian audiences with an A+ on CinemaScore.
A likely factor in the film’s success is its built-in audience with the fanbase of MercyMe, the Christian rock band whose inspirational song inspired the movie. The strong opening puts it ahead of Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” which saw a 50 percent drop-off of its $33 million opening for a second weekend total of $16.6 million and a 10-day total of $61 million.
Completing the top five is Fox’s “Love, Simon,” which hit tracker expectations with $11.5 million. Like “I Can Only Imagine,” the teen gay rom-com was a huge hit with its core audience and scored an A+ on CinemaScore; but it has also earned critical acclaim with a 90 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Outside the top five, two Sony films have hit major milestones. “Peter Rabbit,” which came in seventh with $5.2 million, became only the second 2018 release to hit the $100 million milestone, with “Fifty Shades Freed” expected to become the third later this week.
Meanwhile, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which dominated the box office in January, reached $400 million domestically with $1.6 million in its 13th weekend. It is now one of only four films released in 2017 to hit that mark, posting a higher domestic total than all of Marvel Studios’ releases last year.