Weekend Box Office: Black Panther Takes $111.6M

black panther
Source: Marvel Studios

If somebody were to tell you, say, ten to fifteen years ago that the likes of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy were to outgross the likes of Justice League, they’d be laughed off as a goddamn fool. If somebody were to tell you that The Avengers, shortly after its record-setting $623.36m domestic/$1.52 billion global haul, would be challenged by a Black Panther movie, they’d… also be a fool, I guess. Whatever.

We’re here now, and Disney/Marvel’s Ryan Coogler-directed Black Panther is still kicking ass and taking names, grossing a jaw-dropping $111.6m (-44.7%, pretty notable given its humongous debut) in its second weekend for a $403.61m domestic tally. Among achievements, this is the second-highest second weekend gross ever, ahead of Universal’s Jurassic World ($106.59m) and behind Disney/Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($149.2m), as well as the second-quickest run to hit $400m in the U.S./Canada (10 days), tied with Jurassic World and behind ol’ faithful The Force Awakens. Black Panther is pacing +7.6% ahead of The Avengers at the same point in release, which, if maintained, would give T’Challa and co. a $670m+ haul.

black panther
© Walt Disney Pictures

Just for fun, Black Panther is ahead of Disney/Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi by +8.8% at the same point in release, as any statistic that makes The Last Jedi look financially meagre seems to appease a particular subset of the population for reasons beyond me. Alas.

Internationally, Black Panther added $83.8m in 55 markets for a $305.34m cume. Global is $708.95m, outgrossing Justice League ($657.69m) already. Key openings include Russia ($2.6m, playing exclusively in IMAX/large-format screens), Vietnam ($2.5m, #5 debut ever), and Trinidad ($700k, #1 debut ever. Top markets for Black Panther are the U.K. ($41.2m), South Korea ($36m), Brazil ($18.6m), Mexico ($17.5m), and Australia ($17.4m). The Marvel film will release in China on March 9th, with pre-sales reportedly eclipsing Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, which managed a $71.44m debut in the nation.

Credit: Warner Bros.

Opening in a distant second, Warner/New Line’s Game Night won $17.01m from 3,488 hubs, a healthy launch for the $37m-budgeted comedy. Game Night‘s debut ranks +0.7% ahead of Paramount’s Office Christmas Party ($16.89m) and +48.7% ahead of Warner/New Line’s flub The House ($8.72m). Regarding legs, holds similar to Party (3.24x multiple) give Game Night a $55.1m final haul, which is reasonable. There’s a chance the movie can climb past $60m, what with positive critical/audience reception in its corner.

Overseas, the Rachel McAdams/Jason Bateman flick earned $5.7m from 22 markets for a $22.71m global debut. Only majors here were Australia ($1.5m) and Russia ($1.3m). Key comedy markets like the U.K. won’t see the film until next frame.

© Sony Pictures

Taking third, Sony’s Peter Rabbit declined a light -27.1% to gross $12.76m in its third weekend. Domestic total is $71.51m. Rabbit is holding rather well, in line with expectations, and there’s a decent chance we’ll see the Will Gluck-helmed feature cross the $100m milestone (it’s pretty competition-free for the next while).

Thus far, Peter Rabbit has earned $3.05m from a handful of international markets, biggest of which being Norway ($876k). Global cume is $74.55m.

Debuting in fourth, Paramount’s Annihilation did anything but, grossing $11.07m from 2,012 venues (a curiously small theatre count for a $40m sci-fi). Rumours of Paramount’s confidence in the film sprung when they sold international rights for the Alex Garland film to Netflix, but critics mostly enjoy the film. Audiences are a bit less sold on Annihilation, given the movie’s “C” rating from CinemaScore polls, but it carries a promising 8.0/10 score on IMDb from over 6,000 ratings.

This particular genre is a hard sell, which isn’t necessarily Paramount’s fault; arguably, we should be rewarding a major studio for producing risky, novel fare. It also doesn’t help when you have a cultural phenomenon like Black Panther pulverizing records and a decidedly more commercial offering in the form of Game Night opening alongside. Here’s hoping this can reach cult status.

There are no international numbers to report for Annihilation (hop over to the U.K. and watch it on Netflix, if you’re so inclined), though we’ll see how it performs in China, its only non-Netflix international market.

Fifty Shades Freed 1
© Universal Pictures

Rounding out the top five, Universal’s merciful trilogy capper Fifty Shades Freed earned $7.15m (-58.7%) in its third weekend for a $89.79m tally. The movie is pacing -13.5% behind last year’s Fifty Shades Darker at the same point in release, settings its sights on a $99m final tally, though Universal will probably give it a little nudge to hit $100m.

Internationally, Fifty Shades Freed grossed $22.3m from 61 markets, reaching overseas and global hauls of $231.2m and $320.99m, respectively. Strong numbers, given Freed‘s modest $55m production cost. Top markets for Freed are Germany ($26.9m), the U.K. ($23m), France ($19m), Italy ($17m), and Brazil ($16m).

Outside the top five, Orion Pictures opened the fantasy romance Every Day in 1,667 hubs, collecting an underwhelming $3.02m in ninth place. Expect a total under $10m for the $4.9m-budgeted flick.

 

HOLDOVERS

© Sony Pictures

6. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Sony) – $5.65 million (-28.8%), $387.28m cume
7. The 15:17 to Paris (Warner Bros.) – $3.57 million (-52.9%), $32.23m cume
8. The Greatest Showman (Fox) – $3.41 million (-32.2%), $160.78m cume
10. Early Man (Lionsgate) – $1.77 million (-44.4%), $6.85m cume


Thanks for reading! Still impressed by Black Panther? Check out more of our coverage, from an op-ed on the writing of T’Challa to our theories on particular MCU events.

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