I think its' safe to say Disney has made yet another cultural phenomenon with their latest Marvel flick Black Panther. The Mouse House probably was planning on having their other major film this weekend take #1, but I don't think they were expecting this movie to be so big. But the Marvel film continues to outperform most expectations, sliding a very light (for its genre) 38% to $41.1 million in its fourth weekend. In 24 days, the superhero thriller has earned a massive $562 million. For fourth weekends, Panther ranks third all-time behind only Avatar and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The domestic gross will likely pass $600 million next weekend. Whether or not it can make it five weekends in a row at #1 will all depend on how Warner Bros.' Tomb Raider reboot fares next weekend. Overseas, the film got off to a huge $66 million start in China, while the worldwide gross passed $1 billion. The worldwide gross looks to challenge Star Wars: The Last Jedi's $1.35 billion final gross.
It's true Disney had the top two spots to themselves this weekend, as their adaptation of the classic children's book A Wrinkle in Time debuted under expectations with a $33.3 million start ($8,371 per-venue average). Expectations for the film had dimmed in recent weeks due to mediocre buzz, but most analysts were pegging a debut closer to $40 million. Instead, Wrinkle debuted in line with past Disney sci-fi flick Tomorrowland ($33 million 3-day). On a $100 million budget, the fantasy flick had mixed-to-negative reviews (42% on Rotten Tomatoes), and a mixed "B" CinemaScore from audiences. There isn't much competition coming up for family audiences, however, so it might play solidly in the coming weeks.Meanwhile, in a distant third, a horror sequel outperformed expectations. Despite just about no familiarity for your's truly, Strangers: Prey at Night pulled in a surprising $10.5 million ($4,253 per-venue average) from just 2,464 locations (1,500 screens less than Wrinkle and Panther). Expectations for the Aviron Pictures release was in the $5-7 million range. But, sometimes horror flicks will outperform if necessary. Reviews were mixed-to-negative (38% on Rotten Tomatoes), while the CinemaScore was a "C" (average for horror). On a budget of $5 million, it should wind up in decent shape.
Following its disappointing debut last weekend, Jennifer Lawrence failed to make up ground with Red Sparrow. The adult thriller was down 52% to $8.2 million for a mild $31.1 million gross in 10 days. At its current pace, the thriller should finish around $50 million stateside. Holding strong in its third weekend is adult comedy Game Night, which was off just 24% to $7.9 million. The Jason Sudeikis flick has earned $45 million in 17 days, and should end up north of $60 million.
Despite added competition from another book adaptation, Peter Rabbit continued to pull in the youngsters. The Sony flick was off just 32% to $6.8 million, for a very good $93.5 million gross in one month of release, and will pass $100 million next week. After a meh start last week, the Death Wish remake fell 49% to $6.6 million. The Bruce Willis flick has earned a forgettable $23.9 million in 10 days, and will likely end up matching its $30 million budget.
In eighth place was the third of the new releases, action flick The Hurricane Heist. Despite a decent marketing effort, the unique-sounding film failed to bring in an audience. The Entertainment Studios release pulled in a weak $3.2 million (abysmal $1,311 per-venue average), well below the $5-7 million predicted by analysts. Reviews were terrible (25% on Rotten Tomatoes) and the CinemaScore was a B-. On a $35 million budget, this will easily be a major money loser for the newbie distributor.Tying Hurricane for eighth was Natalie Portman with her sci-fi flick Annihilation, which retreated 44% in its third frame to $3.2 million. The critically-adored flick hasn't made much traction here, however, with a weak $26.1 million gross in 17 days and not much more to go. Making it a 12th-straight weekend in the Top 10 (the most since La La Land last year), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle prepares to finally bow out after a remarkable run. The Dwayne Johnson blockbuster was off 38% to $2.8 million, for a huge $397.3 million pick-up in 84 days of release. It's also earned $935 million worldwide as it debuts on Blu-ray in nine days.
That's about it. Next weekend, the Spring season continues to heat up as the remake of Tomb Raider looks to try and dethrone King T'Challa. Also opening is faith-based flick I Can Only Imagine and teenage dramedy Love, Simon. Predictions post coming Wednesday night.
