Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One (Warner Bros. Pictures) dominated the global box office this weekend with $181.2 million! The adaptation of Ernest Cline’s bestseller opened domestically on Wednesday evening and has since brought in $53.2 million ($41.2 million this weekend). The film received an A- CinemaScore from audiences and should have a healthy road ahead. Internationally, Ready Player One debuted with $128 million from 62 territories on over 35,600 theaters. It’s the biggest opening ever for Warner Bros. in China, with $61.7 million of the overseas total coming just from that country. Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance.
Second place in North America belonged to Tyler Perry’s Acrimony (Lionsgate), which earned $17.1 million from 2,006 theaters, an average of $8,524 per location. The film received an A- CinemaScore. Written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry, Acrimony stars Taraji P. Henson, Lyriq Bent, Crystle Stewart, Jazmyn Simon, Ptosha Storey, Ajiona Alexus, Antonio Madison, Bresha Webb, Danielle Nicolet, Nelson Estevez, and Kendrick Cross.
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther dropped one spot to third with another $11.3 million to push its seven-week total to $650.7 million. It currently stands as the No. 5 domestic release of all time and will shortly pass Jurassic World ($652 million) and Titanic ($659 million). Internationally, the movie added $7.7 million and has now earned $623.2 million (with $104.5 million coming from China), for a worldwide total of $1.274 billion. That means that Black Panther has passed Beauty and the Beast ($1.264 billion) to claim the No. 11 spot on the all-time global chart and will shortly enter the top 10 when it passes Frozen ($1.277 billion). The Ryan Coogler-directed film stars Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions’ release of the Erwin Brothers faith-based family drama I Can Only Imagine was in fourth place domestically with $10.8 million and again had the lowest drop in ticket sales out of the top 10 with just 21%. The film has earned $55.6 million after three weeks and cost just $7 million to make. It is now the highest-grossing release ever distributed in the history of Roadside Attractions, exceeding the company’s success with Manchester by the Sea ($47.7 million). I Can Only Imagine stars Dennis Quaid, Cloris Leachman, Trace Adkins, J. Michael Finley, Priscilla Shirer, and Madeline Carroll.
Legendary and Universal’s Pacific Rim Uprising rounded out the top five domestically with $9.2 million, a hefty drop of 67.3% in ticket sales after topping the box office last weekend. The Steven S. DeKnight-directed sequel has grossed $45.7 million in North America. Internationally, Pacific Rim Uprising has earned $122.4 million to take its global total to $168 million. Made for $150 million, Pacific Rim Uprising stars John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Rinko Kikuchi, Adria Arjona,Burn Gorman, and Charlie Day.
Dropping two spots to sixth, Sherlock Gnomes (Paramount Pictures) added $7 million and has grossed $22.8 million after two weeks. The animated sequel to Gnomeo & Juliet has earned $8 million overseas. Directed by John Stevenson, the $59 million-budgeted film features the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine, Ashley Jensen, Matt Lucas, Stephen Merchant, Mary J. Blige and Johnny Depp.
Director Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon (20th Century Fox) remained in seventh place with $4.8 million and has earned $32.1 million in three weeks. Made for $17 million, Love, Simon stars Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner.
Warner Bros. and MGM’s video game adaptation Tomb Raider collected $4.7 million this weekend in eighth place. The $94 million movie has earned $50.5 million in North America. Internationally, Tomb Raider brought in $12 million in 66 markets and has pushed its sum to $194.6 million ($75.8 million from China). That puts the worldwide total at $245.1 million. The Roar Uthaug-directed film stars Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Kristin Scott Thomas.
In ninth place, Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time took in $4.69 million this weekend for a four-week total of $83.3 million. Internationally, the film added $4.8 million for a total of $21.1 million and a worldwide total of $104.4 million. Directed by Ava DuVernay, A Wrinkle in Time stars Storm Reid, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Peña, and André Holland.
Affirm Films’ Paul, Apostle of Christ rounded out the top ten with $3.5 million and a total of $11.5 million after two weeks. The $5 million faith-based movie, written and directed by Andrew Hyatt, stars Jim Caviezel, Olivier Martinez, Joanne Whalley, John Lynch, and James Faulkner.
