As what some expected, action sequel Pacific Rim: Uprising was able to dethrone the King of Wakanda for the top spot. The sequel to the cult sci-fi hit earned $28 million in its opening weekend, for a decent $7,552 per-venue average. That was actually ahead of expectations, which had the film opening in the low-20's to $25 million at most. In comparison, the first Pacific Rim debuted with $37 million back in July 2013. In the meantime, the 25% drop from movie to movie is about standard for sequels nowadays. In the end, with a $150 million budget, this opening still can't be declared a success by any means. But distributor Universal (Warner Bros. released the first one) knew this would be more of a global play, and its' definitely faring better overseas. Internationally, Uprising pulled in $123 million, including $65 million in China. Strong competition in the form of Ready Player One next weekend may keep it from having any real strong legs, however. Reviews were mixed (46% on Rotten Tomatoes), while the CinemaScore was a meh "B".Despite being dethroned after an impressive five weeks at #1, Black Panther continued to shatter records. The Marvel blockbuster was off just 38% in its sixth weekend to $16.7 million (the fourth-largest sixth weekend on record behind Avatar, Titanic and Frozen), for a massive $630.9 million gross in 42 days. More importantly, Panther passed The Avengers' $623 million final gross to become the biggest-grossing superhero movie ever in the United States. As of now, it looks likely to finish around an astonishing $675 million stateside. Overseas, the film has pulled in nearly as much, with $1.24 billion picked up to date. That ranks 12th on the all-time chart, right behind distributor Disney stablemates Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Frozen.
Following its surprisingly strong debut last weekend, I Can Only Imagine expanded to 2,200 locations, and continued to post exceptional business. The faith-based flick was off just 19% to $13.8 million, for an impressive $38.3 million gross in just 10 days. With a positive 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Imagine should continue to expand and pull in a strong audience with Easter/Spring Break around the corner and beyond.
That leads us to the next new release, which underwhelmed in fourth place. Animated sequel Sherlock Gnomes proved to be a follow-up no one really wanted, pulling in $10.6 million for a weak $2,895 per-venue average. While heavily-marketed, the excitement and buzz that would normally fuel an animated success just wasn't present here. The seven year wait may have proven to be too long, in the meantime. Critics were harsh to the flick (21% on Rotten Tomatoes), while audiences were more favorable with a "B+" CinemaScore. Little competition for kids over Spring Break could help it score a decent multiple. But, with a $59 million budget, its going to be tough for the Paramount/MGM production (Disney, the distributor of the first film, was wise to jump ship on this one) to have any chance of profit. Paramount was predicting a debut in the $12-15 million range.
Following a mixed bag debut last weekend, the Tomb Raider reboot fell 56% in its second weekend to $10.4 million. The Alicia Vikander flick has pulled in a mediocre $41.7 million gross in 10 days. However, the film is faring far better overseas, with $170 million picked up so far, and an expected $300 million worldwide finish. That should be enough to yield a little profit for the $94 million production.
If its any consolation, however, Tomb Raider does seem to be faring better than A Wrinkle in Time on the international front. The Disney film fell another 51% in its third weekend to $8 million, for a $73.9 million gross in 17 days. Even with Spring Break around the corner, the book adaptation looks to finish just short of $100 million. And overseas numbers are far from promising right now also.
Meanwhile, Love, Simon held up decently after a mediocre start last weekend. The teen dramedy was off a light 34% to $7.8 million, for a $23.7 million gross in 10 days. The well-reviewed flick should quietly continue to play decently in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, the other new releases didn't make an impression. Faring the best of the three was Paul, Apostle of Christ. The Sony release opened to $5 million, for an OK $3,394 per-venue average (it only opened in 1,400 locations). That was generally in line with some analysts' expectations, but its not a particularly good start. The most obvious reason why Paul wasn't a hit was simply because Sony didn't see the huge success of I Can Only Imagine coming (I'm imagining Pure Flix getting a little nervous right now with God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness waiting in the wings on Friday). Reviews weren't good (35% on Rotten Tomatoes), while the CinemaScore was a respectable "A-". Sony and Affirm Films are hoping for the movie to find more of an audience over Easter and Spring Break (but the competition won't help it). The film only had a $5 million budget, however, so any financial loss for Sony will be minimal here.
Narrowly edging out the other two new releases for ninth place was the comedy Game Night, which continued to be a trouper in its fifth weekend. The well-reviewed adult comedy was off just 26% to $4.2 million, for a solid $60.8 million in one month of release. It could hit $70 million if it continues at a solid pace, and overseas numbers aren't bad either ($35 million with more to go).
Just outside the list, Steven Soderbergh's latest, Unsane, also matched its' low expectations with a $3.9 million start (dismal $1,906 per-venue average). The first film shot entirely on an iPhone 7 earned very good reviews from critics (78% on Rotten Tomatoes) but was proven to be too quirky and odd for audiences with a "B-" CinemaScore. The film only had a $1.5 million budget, however, so it won't lose major money for distributor Bleecker Street.
That's about it. Next weekend, Easter weekend boasts the debut of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. Also opening are Tyler Perry's Acrimony and the faith-based threequel, God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness. More info to come on Wednesday night on how these three may fare.
