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    “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Tops Box Office For 5th Straight Weekend

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1454 Views
    This image released by Marvel Studios shows a scene from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." (Marvel Studios via AP)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    On one of the quietest weekends of the year in movie theaters, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" topped the North American box office for the fifth straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

    With the release of "Avatar: The Way of Water" looming, studios opted not to open any new films in wide release. That enabled Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" sequel to further extend its box-office reign. "Wakanda Forever" grossed $11.1 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $409.8 million and its worldwide haul to $767.8 million.

    "Wakanda Forever" is the first film since Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" — the 2020 release that attempted to revive cinemas from pandemic closure in 2020, when almost nothing was being theatrically released — to lead the box-office for five straight weeks.

    While it's common to see a quiet weekend ahead of a potential blockbuster like "The Way of Water," a little-challenged run like "Wakanda Forever" is enjoying is rare for this time of year. The holiday corridor from Thanksgiving to New Year's is typically one of Hollywood's busiest periods. Instead, it's been a fallow spell, with one of the weakest Thanksgiving weekends ever and only a dribble of wide releases since.

    The weekend's total ticket sales amounted to just $37 million, according to data firm Comscore.

    That's left the industry looking, once again, to James Cameron to fire up the box office. "Avatar: The Way of Water," the long-awaited sequel to the $2.9-billion-grossing 2009 original, launches in theaters Thursday with expectations of at least a $150 million debut domestically.

    "Violent Night," the R-rated comic action film starring David Harbour as Santa Claus, held well in its second weekend. It stayed in second place, dropping a modest 29%, with $8.7 million.

    While many awards hopefuls have struggled to catch on in theaters, Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale," starring Brendan Fraser, got off to a strong start. The A24 release grossed $360,000 at six theaters for the year's best per-screen average. Fraser has been widely celebrated for his performance as a 600-lb. reclusive English teacher trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink).

    In its second weekend, Focus Features' "Spoiler Alert," a romantic comedy starring Jim Parsons and directed by Michael Showalter, expanded into 1,100 theaters but came away with just $700,000 in ticket sales. Sam Mendes' "Empire of Light," for Searchlight Pictures, debuted in 110 locations but also failed to make a dent. The film, set in a 1980s coastal England movie theater and starring Olivia Colman, took in $152,000.

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1."Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," $11.1 million.
    2. "Violent Night," $8.7 million.
    3. "Strange World," $3.6 million.
    4. "The Menu," $2.7 million.
    5. "Devotion," $2 million.
    6. "Black Adam," $1.3 million.
    7. "The Fabelmans," $1.2 million.
    8. "The Hours" (Metropolitan Opera), $791,000.
    9. "I Heard the Bells," $751,000.
    10. "Spoiler Alert," $700,000.

    Category:News
    Tags:Black Panther:Wakanda Foreverbox office



    Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    "Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.

    The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.

    And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).

    This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.

    "'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."

    As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More

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