‘Panther’ still on top amid ‘Pacific’ move
The Marvel film keeps setting records even as ‘Uprising’ bumps it from No. 1.
For the first time in six weeks, Disney’s juggernaut “Black Panther” has been knocked from the top box office spot with the debut of Universal’s “Pacific Rim Uprising.”
“Obviously we’re always pleased to open at No. 1,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s distribution chief, “and to do it under these circumstances is fantastic.”
“Pacific Rim Uprising,” the big-budget sci-fi sequel estimated to have cost $155 million, came within range of analysts’ expectations of $25 million to $30 million with an estimated $28 million in domestic grosses.
“Uprising” follows Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 original “Pacific Rim,” a relative disappointment in the U.S. with a $102-million domestic take but a huge hit in China and other countries. It ended its run with $411 million in worldwide receipts.
Similarly, “Pacific Rim Uprising” grossed an estimated $122.5 million internationally this past weekend, with $65 million in ticket sales coming from China, for a global gross of $150.5 million.
“It really was a terrific worldwide launch for ‘Pacific Rim Uprising,’ ” Orr said. “We’re thrilled to partner with Legendary on this title, and it really was engineered for a worldwide event and has delivered as promised.”
Directed by Steven S. DeKnight, “Uprising“— which takes place in a world where humans pilot giant fighting machines to save the world from otherworldly monsters — earned a B rating on CinemaScore and a 46% “rotten” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Even at No. 2, “Black Panther” continued to shatter records.
The film, which added $16.6 million to its domestic grosses this past weekend, has now earned $630.9 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it the top-grossing superhero film in North America. The previous record holder, Marvel title “The Avengers,” grossed $623.4 million in 2012.
“Black Panther” is only one of seven films to ever earn $600 million or more domestically. The film spent five weeks at No. 1 in North America, a streak that had not been achieved since James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster “Avatar.” It has grossed upward of $1.2 billion worldwide.
Roadside Attractions’ faith-based film “I Can Only Imagine” continued to perform in its second week, maintaining the No. 3 spot and adding $13.8 million in ticket sales for a cumulative $38.3 million.
Starring Dennis Quaid and J. Michael Finley, the film follows the lead singer of the Christian band MercyMe during his process of writing “I Can Only Imagine,” the most-played radio hit in Christian music history.
Paramount’s “Sherlock Gnomes” opened in fourth place with $10.6 million.
Released by Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the computeranimated cartoon is a follow-up to 2011’s “Gnomeo and Juliet,” which was distributed under Disney’s Touchstone label. The film came in under analysts’ predictions of $15 million, much lower than the $25-million debut of the original.
Rounding out the top five, Warner Bros.’ “Tomb Raider” dropped three spots since last week and added $10.4 million in its second weekend, a 56% decline, for a cumulative $41.7 million.
Sony’s “Paul, Apostle of Christ” debuted at No. 8 with $5 million, on par with analysts’ predictions of $4 million to $9 million.
Open Road’s romantic teen tear-jerker “Midnight Sun,” also new this week, came in at the low end of analysts’ expectations with $4.1 million in the No. 10 spot.