'Black Panther' pounces to box office glory over holiday weekend
As the US kicked back for a long weekend, Disney's "Black Panther" got off to a superhero start in the North American box office, rocketing to the top spot with record-breaking earnings of $242.2 million, industry data showed Monday. According to figures from industry tracker Exhibitor Relations, the highly-anticipated 18th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe earned $202 million over Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- exceeding predictions of $170 million. A new record Monday take of $40.2 million in the US pushed "Black Panther's" staggering earnings even further beyond the previous record-holder "Deadpool's" 2016 Presidents' Day weekend mark of $152.1 million. Its performance overseas brought the global total to $426.6 million, which is already more than Marvel's "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011) and "The Incredible Hulk" (2008) made during their entire theatrical runs. The film, from Disney-owned Marvel Studios, features a star-studded, almost entirely black cast led by Chadwick Boseman as the first non-white superhero to get his own standalone movie in the franchise. Starring alongside Michael B Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o, Boseman plays the titular superhero also known as T'Challa, king and protector of the technologically advanced fictional African nation of Wakanda, an affluent, never-colonized utopia. Its various achievements include the second-largest four-day domestic opening weekend of all time, behind "Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($288.1 million)" and just ahead of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" ($241.6 million). Its three-day opening breaks the record for February and is the best ever for an African-American director. In at second was family-friendly "Peter Rabbit," based on Beatrix Potter's classic children's book. Mixing live actors with computer-generated animation, it brought in $23.4 million over the holiday weekend for total earnings of $54.4 million. James Corden voices the lead bunny which feuds with garden owner Domhnall Gleeson for the affections of sweet-hearted neighbor Rose Byrne. Dropping to third was last week's box office champion, Universal's "Fifty Shades Freed," with takings of $19.4 million, down from $38.6 million the previous week. Starring Dakota Johnson as English lit major-turned-publisher Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, her kinky lover-turned-husband, "Freed" is the last of the "Fifty Shades" trilogy, which has enjoyed massive popularity among primarily female audiences. Sony's "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" placed fourth in its ninth week in theaters, matching last week's earnings with $10 million. Featuring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black, the family film tells the tale of a group of teens transported inside a video game world. Director Clint Eastwood's "The 15:17" dropped two places into fifth, taking $8.9 million. The film recounts the story of three young Americans who foiled a terrorist attack on board a train in France in 2015. In an alternative approach that divided critics, Eastwood cast the three men -- none of whom had any acting experience -- to play themselves. Rounding out the top 10 were: "The Greatest Showman" ($6.5 million) "Early Man" ($4.3 million) "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" ($3.2 million) "Winchester" ($2.6 million) "The Post" ($2.4 million)
