By the end of Friday,Tomb Raiderhad secured enough of a lead overBlack Pantherto claim the top spot with a little over $9 million but those who have been following the numbers may feel a pinch of deja vu from last week. Indeed,Ava DuVernay’s wondrous yet indistinctA Wrinkle in Timehad the leg up on Marvel’s mammoth blockbuster last Friday and ended up losing the lead by Sunday. A similar fate could very well awaitTomb Raider, especially considering the fact that less than $2 million separates the new release fromBlack Panther’s $7.5 million take on Friday to land in second place.
The remake wasn’t the only new release to make its mark in the top five. As is often the case with egregiously self-important and pious movies about how Christianity is the best, Roadside Attractions’I Can Only Imagineseemingly came out of nowhere to land in number three with $6.2 million, no doubt bolstered by the popularity of the hit song that gives the movie its name. Right below that isLove, Simon, a refreshingly measured and genuinely empathetic look at a gay teenager preparing to leave the closet behind, with $4.6 million, which just narrowly beat outA Wrinkle in Timewith $4.5 million to take fourth place.
This is a tight race across the board, to the point that it’s almost certain that the top five will not look the same by the time the weekend estimates come in tomorrow. Less than $2 million separates all these films from their closest rivals with the exception ofA Wrinkle in Time, which has a sizable lead ahead ofGame Nightin the number six spot. Still, the big race remains between the top two and given the mixed reviews for Tomb Raider, another triumph forBlack Pantheris a real possibility. And not for nothing, if one were to bet on the most substantive big-studio film in wide release to win, the smart money would still be onRyan Coogler’s masterwork to win over its top-five peers.
Here’s your top five at the Friday box office:
Friday Domestic BO
Total Domestic BO
1. ‘Tomb Raider’
$9,055,000
2. ’Black Panther’
$7,520,000
$585,896,528
3. ‘I Can Only Imagine’
$6,230,000
4. ‘Love, Simon’
$4,600,000
- ‘A Wrinkle in Time’
$4,599,000
$49,093,654
