Weekend Box Office Report: March 16-18, 2018

Black Panther continues to rule!

For a fifth straight weekend, Marvel's BLACK PANTHER sat atop the box office with an estimated $27 million!

The African superhero spectacle has now reached an extraordinary domestic total of $605.4 million after 31 days in theaters, prowling ever closer to the totals of THE AVENGERS ($623 million) and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI ($619 million).

Director Ryan Coogler's majestic Wakanda adventure has also amassed $1.18 billion worldwide, surpassing the $1.15 billion finish of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (which featured the cinematic debut of T'Challa).

Opening in second place was the new action-adventure movie TOMB RAIDER with $23.5 million.

The latest big-screen version of the popular videogame series got off to a slower start than Angelina Jolie's LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, which opened to $47 million in 2001 before arriving at a domestic total of $131 million (still the highest domestic gross for a game adaptation) and $274 million worldwide.

The PG-13 reboot, now with Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander in the soiled tank-top, did come out ahead of the $21 million domestic opening of the 2003 Jolie sequel LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE.

The $94 million adaptation from director Roar Uthaug (THE WAVE) has also raided $102.5 million from international audiences for a worldwide total of $126 million.

Critics weren't overly excited for climbing and spelunking with the heroine, giving the update a 49% average on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review can be plundered HERE).

In third place was the new PG-rated drama I CAN ONLY IMAGINE with an opening of $17 million.

Despite a lack of star power (Dennis Quaid is the most familiar face in the cast), the faith-based story behind the titular Christian pop song managed to rush past higher-profile releases for the strongest per-screen average in the Top 10, on a modest $7 million reported cost.

Not all critics were singing along — the feel-good tale currently has a 58% average on Rotten Tomatoes.

Director Ava DuVernay's adaptation of A WRINKLE IN TIME was in fourth place with $16.5 million, dropping by 50% from its opening last weekend. The $100 million sci-fi/fantasy has a ten-day domestic total of $61 million.

The new high-school romantic comedy LOVE, SIMON opened in fifth place with $11.5 million.

Directed by Greg Berlanti (the ringleader of the DC Comics TV "Arrowverse"), the adaptation of Becky Albertalli's novel cost a reported $17 million.

Most critics were enamored with the PG-13 coming-of-age tale, giving it an average of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. The JoBlo review can be found HERE.

In sixth place was the R-rated Jason Bateman/Rachel McAdams comedy GAME NIGHT with $5.5 million, taking it to $54.1 million on its fourth weekend in release.

The family feature PETER RABBIT was in seventh with $5.2 million, finally hopping over $100 million domestic after a month and a half in theaters. The $50 million animated/live-action hybrid has a worldwide total of $145 million.

The horror sequel THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT was slaying in eighth with $4.8 million, slashed by 54% from last week's opening. The homicidal home invaders have a ten-day domestic total of $18.6 million (on a $5 million reported cost).

Jennifer Lawrence's spy thriller RED SPARROW was in ninth place with $4.4 million. The $69 million adaptation from director Francis Lawrence has a domestic total of $39.5 million and $106 million worldwide.

Closing out the list was Eli Roth's DEATH WISH update with $3.3 million, bringing the Bruce Willis action-drama to a domestic total of $29.9 million on its third weekend (nearly grossing its $30 million reported cost).

Outside the chart, JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE finally tumbled off the list after three months just as it crossed $400 million domestic. Alien anomaly ANNIHILATION also shimmered out of sight along with director Rob Cohen's meteorological action flick THE HURRICANE HEIST after one week in the Top 10.

The fact-based Daniel Bruhl/Rosamund Pike thriller 7 DAYS AT ENTEBBE was released on 838 screens for a $1.6 million weekend. Critics weren't riveted by the dramatization of a 1976 Air France hijacking, giving it a 22% average on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

Next weekend has colossal robots clashing with bigass monsters in the sequel PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING, filmmaker Wes Anderson animates canines in ISLE OF DOGS, director Steven Soderbergh brings us to a mental institution with UNSANE, the garden is investigated by SHERLOCK GNOMES and romance can be found in MIDNIGHT SUN.

What video game (or game series) do you most want to see adapted to a movie? VOTE HERE!