‘Black Panther’ 5-Peats at Box Office, Crossing $600 Million Domestic
“Tomb Raider” reboot takes second with $23 million opening
Jeremy Fuster | March 18, 2018 @ 8:15 AM
Last Updated: March 18, 2018 @ 3:10 PM
Marvel
“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.
46 Movies With A+ CinemaScore Since 2000, From 'Remember the Titans' to 'Love, Simon' (Photos)
"Finding Forrester" (2000)
A writing prodigy finds an unlikely mentor in a reclusive author played by Sean Connery in this feel-good drama that won over first-weekend audiences.
Sony
"Remember the Titans" (2000)
Audiences cheered for the high school football drama starring Denzel Washington as a tough-talking coach.
Disney
"Monsters, Inc." (2001)
Pixar animated hits like this one consistently get high marks from CinemaScore moviegoers.
Pixar
"Antwone Fisher" (2002)
Denzel Washington plays a Navy shrink treating a troubled sailor (Derek Luke).
"Drumline" (2002)
Nick Cannon plays a Harlem street drummer recruited to play for a Southern university's marching band.
Fox
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002)
The second film in the eight-film saga won a grade that would have pleased Hermione -- though all the others rated an A– or better.
Warner Bros.
"Finding Nemo" (2003)
Another beloved Pixar hit.
Pixar
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
The Oscar-winning finale of Peter Jackson's J.R.R. Tolkien saga was the one ring that ruled them all.
New Line
"The Passion of the Christ" (2004)
Mel Gibson's biblical epic won a passionate response from filmgoers.
"The Incredibles" (2004)
Another Pixar film that won over audiences in a superhero-size way.
Pixar
"The Polar Express" (2004)
Tom Hanks' CG conductor now looks a little creepy, but this holiday-set animated film was cutting edge at the time of its release.
"Ray" (2004)
Jamie Foxx's Oscar-winning turn as music legend Ray Charles hit high notes with filmgoers.
"Dreamer" (2005)
A heart-tugging story about a racehorse who came back after breaking a leg is a natural to win high marks.
DreamWorks
"Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (2005)
Tyler Perry's early Madea film won over first-weekend audiences.
"Cinderella Man" (2005)
Ron Howard's drama about a real-life boxer (Russell Crowe) knocked out moviegoers.
Universal
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (2005)
The C.S. Lewis story ticked the right boxes for CinemaScore audiences with its appeal to both faith-based and family audiences.
"Akeelah and the Bee" (2006)
A girl from South Los Angeles tries to compete in the National Spelling Bee in this feel-good drama.
"Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" (2007)
CinemaScore grades tend to get a boost when super-fans turn out in force on opening weekend -- like Tyler Perry enthusiasts.
Lionsgate
"Up" (2009)
Filmgoer affection kept the score aloft for this Pixar hit.
Pixar
"The Blind Side" (2009)
Sandra Bullock's Oscar-winning feel-good drama blindsided audiences with its heartfelt true-life story.
Warner Bros.
"The King's Speech" (2010)
Colin Firth's true-life story of King George VI became the latest Oscar Best Picture winner to appeal to audiences as well.
TWC
"Tangled" (2010)
Disney's spin on Rapunzel was just another one of its much-loved princess yarns.
Disney
"Soul Surfer" (2011)
Filmgoers latched onto a film about Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who got back on the board even after losing an arm in a shark attack.
"Courageous" (2011)
This faith-based indie about four cops who reassess their lives after a tragedy hit home with audiences.
"Dolphin Tale" (2011)
Family audiences flipped for this one.
"The Help" (2011)
Tate Taylor's civil rights drama became a giant summer hit on the heels of some very positive word of mouth.
Disney
"The Avengers" (2012)
Marvel's superhero-palooza became the first comic-book movie to land a perfect grade.
Marvel
"Argo" (2012)
Ben Affleck's fact-based drama connected with audiences -- and Academy voters.
Warner Bros.
"42" (2013)
Five years before his "Black Panther" landed an A+, Chadwick Boseman starred in this biopic of Jackie Robinson.
"Instructions Not Included" (2013)
This Spanish-language comedy became a surprise hit -- and the audience response meant strong word of mouth.
Pantelion
"The Best Man Holiday" (2013)
Fans of Malcolm D. Lee's original 1999 best-friends melodrama had to wait more than a decade for this sequel -- and they went home satisfied.
"Frozen" (2013)
Filmgoers just couldn't let this one go.
Disney
"Lone Survivor" (2014)
CinemaScore audiences love Peter Berg's true-life tales of American heroism, this time with Mark Wahlberg as a Navy SEAL on the run from the Taliban.
"Woodlawn" (2015)
Recipe for success with CinemaScore audiences: Faith-based football drama starring an African American young man who must overcome obstacles to succeed.
PureFlix
"Selma" (2015)
Ava DuVernay's stirring portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. marched forward with strong word of mouth.
"American Sniper" (2015)
Clint Eastwood's searing portrait of an American military hero (Bradley Cooper) was a hit with audiences.
Warner Bros.
"Miracles From Heaven" (2016)
CinemaScore audiences again fancied this religiously themed Jennifer Garner drama.
"Queen of Katwe" (2016)
This unfortunately little-seen film about a young girl in rural Uganda who becomes an unlikely chess champion was loved by those who did see it.
Disney
"Patriots Day" (2016)
Peter Berg's drama about the Boston Marathon bombing case wasn't a hit, but CinemaScore filmgoers loved it.
"Hidden Figures" (2016)
The true-life tale of African-American women who helped NASA's space program blasted off with filmgoers.
Fox
"Girls Trip" (2017)
Another film starring African-American women aced it with audiences.
"Wonder" (2017)
The heartwarming story of a boy with a facial deformity checked all the right boxes for first-weekend audiences.
Lionsgate
"Coco" (2017)
Pixar's animated feature won over audiences with its take on Mexico's Day of the Dead.
Disney
"Black Panther" (2018)
The Disney/Marvel blockbuster became only the second superhero movie to nab a perfect grade.
Disney/Marvel
"I Can Only Imagine" (2018)
The Erwin brothers' latest faith-based movie told the story behind Christian band MercyMe's hit song of the same name.
Roadside Attractions
"Love, Simon" (2018)
Fox's teen rom-com about a closeted high schooler drew rabid support from first-night audiences who were no doubt fans of the YA novel on which it's based.
Fox
If you're curious, click on to see all the movies that have flunked in the CinemaScore survey.