Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 19 March 2018
'Black Panther' tops box office for 5th straight weekend

By JAKE COYLE ed Disney's own "A Wrinkle
NEW YORK (AP) — Not since in Time," Ava DuVernay's
"Avatar" has a box-office adaptation of Madeleine
hit had the kind of staying L'Engle's 1962 novel of the
power of "Black Panther." same name. In its second
Ryan Coogler's comic- week, "A Wrinkle in Time"
book sensation on Sunday dropped 50 percent with
became the first film since $16.6 million in ticket sales.
James Cameron's 2009 The surprise of the weekend
smash to top the week- was the Lionsgate-Road-
end box office five straight side Attractions Christian
weekends. drama "I Can Only Imag-
The Disney release grossed ine," which grossed $17.1
$27 million in ticket sales million on 1,629 screens
over the weekend, ac- — less than half the num-
cording to studio estimates, ber that "Black Panther,"
pushing its domestic haul to ''Tomb Raider" and "A Win-
$605.4 million. Worldwide, kle in Time" played on. The
"Black Panther" has grossed film, which co-stars Dennis
more than $1.1 billion. Quaid and Cloris Leach-
Though "Black Panther" has man, cost only $7 million
had little competition to to make. It stars J. Michael
contend with throughout Finley as the singer behind
February and March, such This file image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Daniel Wu, left, and Alicia Vikander in a one of the most popu-
consistency is especially scene from "Tomb Raider." lar Christian songs, by the
rare in today's movie-going Associated Press band MercyMe.
world. Before "Avatar," the "I Can Only Imagine" dou-
last film to do it was 1999's much excitement among an attempt to rekindle a million in China. bled expectations by stick-
"The Sixth Sense." moviegoers. Critics gave it video game-adapted fran- "International was always ing to the typical tactic of
That left second place to mediocre reviews (49 per- chise that faded quickly a key part of the strategy," "faith-based" releases with
the MGM-Warner Bros.' re- cent fresh on Rotten To- the first time around. The Goldstein said. a grassroots marketing ef-
booted "Tomb Raider," star- matoes) and ticket-buyers 2001 original opened $47.7 Of course, the continuing fort that focused on South-
ring Alicia Vikander as the responded with a "meh," million and grossed $274.7 success of "Black Panther" ern, Southwestern and sub-
archaeologist adventurer giving it a B CinemaScore. million worldwide, but the also didn't help "Tomb Raid- urban moviegoers. Eighty
Lara Croft. The $90 million With Vikander stepping big-budget 2003 sequel er." When release dates percent of the audience
film opened with $23.5 mil- in for Angelina Jolie, Roar flopped, opening with were being set a year ago, was over 35.
lion, largely failing to stir Uthaug's "Tomb Raider" is $21.8 million domestically few could have foreseen It's the biggest opening
and grossing $156.5 million "Black Panther" no. 1 five weekend ever for Roadside
worldwide. weeks in. "How could you?" Attractions, the 15-year-old
Jeff Goldstein, distribu- Goldstein said. indie distributor whose pre-
tion chief for Warner Bros., "Black Panther" has shown vious titles include "Mud"
said "Tomb Raider" came considerably fewer legs in and "Manchester by the
close to studio expecta- China, however. Though Sea." "We did really work
tions in North America but it has grossed $96 million the film. Starting with the
that international ticket in two weeks of release beginning of October, we
sales were a primary fo- in China, "Black Panther" were screening the film for
cus. "Tomb Raider" was no. slid steeply in its second faith-based influencers,"
1 overseas, grossing $84.5 weekend. Yet last week, said Roadside co-founder
million, including a $41.1 "Black Panther" even best- Howard Cohen. q

Theron calls idea of arming

U.S. teachers 'so outrageous'

DUBAI, United Arab Emir- to make the conversation,
ates (AP) — Actress Charl- the argument that the fix
ize Theron says the idea of is more guns. It is so outra-
arming teachers after re- geous to me."
cent U.S. school shootings Theron spoke Saturday at
or "adding more guns" to the Global Education and
the situation is "so outra- Skills Forum being held in

Actress Charlize Theron geous." Dubai.
speaks at an event at the The South African says: "I Theron says people should
Global Education and Skills have a very personal expe- "listen to our kids" to solve
Forum in Dubai, United Arab rience with gun violence. the problem, speaking just
Emirates, Saturday, March 17, I lost my father to gun vio- after three students talked
2018. lence." about the Feb. 14 Florida
Associated Press She added: "I just don't un- school shooting that killed
derstand when people try 17 people.q