‘Black Panther’ leads box office
LOS ANGELES — “Black Panther” remains on fire as Disney-Marvel’s blockbuster is projected to dominate moviegoing with at least $60 million at 4,020 North American theaters.
“Black Panther,” starring Chadwick Boseman, is heading for the third-highest third weekend of all time, trailing only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at $90 million and “Avatar” at $68 million.
The superhero epic took in $6.6 million at
4,020 North American sites on Thursday to lift its domestic total to $435.4 million, surpassing “E.T. — The Extraterrestrial” for the 16th spot. “Black Panther” should be near the $500 million domestic mark by the end of this weekend. Only nine films have crossed that milestone, most recently “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
The Ryan Coogler-directed action flick made the biggestever debut for a black director and has already become the topgrossing film with a predominantly black cast.
Black Panther follows T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) as he is crowned king of Wakanda, a technologically advanced nation in Africa rich in the valuable metal vibranium. Alongside a cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya and Forest Whitaker, he must protect the throne from an outside challenger: the Oakland, Calif.-raised Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan).
Meanwhile, Fox’s opening of Jennifer Lawrence’s spy thriller “Red Sparrow” is heading for a respectable second-place finish of about $20 million at 3,056 sites, while MGM’s launch of Bruce Willis’ “Death Wish” should wind up with about $12 million at 2,847 venues.
“Red Sparrow,” written by Justin Haythe and based on a novel by Jason Matthews, centers on a Russian ballerina who’s recruited into a spy agency after suffering a career-ending injury and facing a bleak and uncertain future.
MGM’s reimagined “Death Wish,” starring Willis as a surgeon turned vigilante, is expected to make about $12 million, slightly below forecasts in the $14 million to $16 million range. The action-thriller took in $650,000 on Thursday night.