Still going strong
‘Black Panther’ tops box office for fifth straight weekend
Not since “Avatar” has a boxoffice hit had the kind of staying power of “Black Panther.” Ryan Coogler’s comic-book sensation on Sunday became the first film since James Cameron’s 2009 smash to top the weekend box office five straight weekends.
The Disney release grossed $27 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates, pushing its domestic haul to $605.4 million. Worldwide, “Black Panther” has grossed more than $1.1 billion.
Though “Black Panther” has had little competition to contend with throughout February and March, such consistency is especially rare in today’s moviegoing world. Before “Avatar,” the last film to do it was 1999’s “The Sixth Sense.”
That left second place to the MGM-Warner Bros.’ rebooted “Tomb Raider,” starring Alicia Vikander as the archaeologist adventurer Lara Croft. The $90 million film opened with $23.5 million, largely failing to stir much excitement among moviegoers.
Critics gave it mediocre reviews (49 per cent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and ticketbuyers responded with a “meh,” giving it a B CinemaScore.
With Vikander stepping in for Angelina Jolie, Roar Uthaug’s “Tomb Raider” is an attempt to rekindle a video game-adapted franchise that faded quickly the first time around. The 2001 original opened $47.7 million and grossed $274.7 million worldwide,
but the big-budget 2003 sequel flopped, opening with $21.8 million domestically and grossing $156.5 million worldwide.
Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros., said “Tomb Raider” came close to studio expectations in North America but that international ticket sales were a primary focus. “Tomb Raider” was no. 1 overseas, grossing $84.5 million, including a $41.1 million in China.
“International was always a key part of the strategy,” Goldstein said.
Of course, the continuing success of “Black Panther” also didn’t help “Tomb Raider.” When release dates were being
set a year ago, few could have foreseen “Black Panther” no. 1 five weeks in. “How could you?” Goldstein said.
“Black Panther” has shown considerably fewer legs in China, however. Though it has grossed $96 million in two weeks of release in China, “Black Panther” slid steeply in its second weekend.
Yet last week, “Black Panther” even bested Disney’s own “A Wrinkle in Time,” Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel of the same name. In its second week, “A Wrinkle in Time” dropped 50 per cent with $16.6 million in ticket sales.
The surprise of the weekend was the Lionsgate-Roadside
Attractions Christian drama “I Can Only Imagine,” which grossed $17.1 million on 1,629 screens - less than half the number that “Black Panther,” ”Tomb Raider“and ”A Winkle in Time“played on. The film, which costars Dennis Quaid and Cloris Leachman, cost only $7 million to make. It stars J. Michael Finley as the singer behind one of the most popular Christian songs, by the band MercyMe.
“I Can Only Imagine” doubled expectations by sticking to the typical tactic of “faith-based” releases with a grassroots marketing effort that focused on Southern, Southwestern and suburban moviegoers. Eighty per cent of the audience was over 35.