‘Pacific Rim’ dethrones ‘Black Panther’

Set 10 years after Pacific Rim, Uprising follows a new generation of pilots of the first film’s giant “Jaeger” military mechanoids – fending off enormous Kaiju monsters aiming to end humanity.

The movie, from Universal, centers on Star Wars sensation John Boyega as Jake Pentecost, son of Idris Elba’s character Stacker, who died to save the world in the first film.

London-born Boyega also took a producing role alongside Guillermo del Toro, the first film’s director.

While the film rose to prominence, it was time for Wakanda’s King T’Challa to surrender his box office crown. Black Panther dropped into second place with earnings of $16.7 million.

The Marvel smash hit, starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o has earned $631 million in the US and Canada – making it the highest-grossing superhero film in the US according to industry tracker Box Office Mojo, overtaking The Avengers (2012).

Thanks to an impressive box office reign, it is also the first film since Avatar (2009) to chalk up five consecutive top spots.

In at third for a second week was low-budget, faith-based drama I Can Only Imagine, which amassed $13.8 million.

Made for a modest $7 million, the movie stars J. Michael Finley as the lead singer of a popular Christian band. Dennis Quaid and Cloris Leachman also star.

No.4 went to newly-released Sherlock Gnomes, taking $10.6 million.

A sequel to 2011’s Gnomeo and Juliet, the Paramount animation features big names including James McAvoy and Emily Blunt. The Shakespearean pair call upon Sherlock