‘Black Panther’ scores biggest box-office Monday with $40.2M

This image released by Disney shows Chadwick Boseman in a scene from Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther.” (Matt Kennedy/Marvel Studios-Disney via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — With a massive $40.2 million in ticket sales Monday, “Black Panther” has set another box-office record: biggest Monday ever.

The Walt Disney Co. again raised its box-office estimates for the Marvel sensation on Tuesday. The film’s updated Monday performance — $7 million higher than Disney earlier forecast — narrowly topped the previous record, set by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015 with $40.1 million.

The higher Monday figure gives “Black Panther” the second biggest four-day weekend, behind only the $288.1 million of “The Force Awakens.” With $242 million over the Presidents’ Day weekend, “Black Panther” moves ahead of December’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in the ranks of four-day starts.

Ryan Coogler’s film, starring Chadwick Boseman, is the first big-budget tentpole release featuring a nearly all-black cast. The movie’s three-day gross of $201.8 million ranks fifth highest of all time, not accounting for inflation.

Internationally, “Black Panther,” which cost $200 million to make, is also outperforming earlier estimates. It has made $184.6 million overseas thus far, giving it a worldwide total of $426.6 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:

1. “Black Panther,” Disney, $242,155,680, 4,020 locations, $60,238 average, $242,155,680, 1 Week.

2. “Peter Rabbit,” Sony, $23,382,931, 3,725 locations, $6,277 average, $54,355,473, 2 Weeks.

3. “Fifty Shades Freed,” Universal, $19,439,120, 3,768 locations, $5,159 average, $78,630,575, 2 Weeks.

4. “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle,” Sony, $10,014,906, 2,800 locations, $3,577 average, $379,693,471, 9 Weeks.

5. “The 15:17 To Paris,” Warner Bros., $8,923,106, 3,042 locations, $2,933 average, $26,670,823, 2 Weeks.

6. “The Greatest Showman,” 20th Century Fox, $6,527,597, 1,936 locations, $3,372 average, $155,905,953, 9 Weeks.

7. “Early Man,” Lionsgate, $4,260,148, 2,494 locations, $1,708 average, $4,260,148, 1 Week.

8. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” 20th Century Fox, $3,243,854, 1,892 locations, $1,715 average, $54,723,980, 4 Weeks.

9. “Winchester,” Lionsgate, $2,619,156, 1,479 locations, $1,771 average, $22,249,335, 3 Weeks.

10. “The Post,” 20th Century Fox, $2,437,992, 1,050 locations, $2,322 average, $77,047,364, 9 Weeks.

11. “Samson,” Pure Flix, $2,255,864, 1,249 locations, $1,806 average, $2,255,864, 1 Week.

12. “The Shape Of Water,” Fox Searchlight, $2,055,052, 957 locations, $2,147 average, $53,633,766, 12 Weeks.

13. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri,” Fox Searchlight, $1,895,019, 780 locations, $2,430 average, $48,364,525, 15 Weeks.

14. “Darkest Hour,” Focus Features, $1,153,160, 602 locations, $1,916 average, $53,394,852, 13 Weeks.

15. “I, Tonya,” Neon Rated, $1,120,319, 502 locations, $2,232 average, $27,224,441, 11 Weeks.

16. “Den Of Thieves,” STX Entertainment, $1,116,790, 730 locations, $1,530 average, $43,618,720, 5 Weeks.

17. “12 Strong,” Warner Bros., $1,108,467, 815 locations, $1,360 average, $44,256,673, 5 Weeks.

18. “Hostiles,” Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, $1,004,135, 767 locations, $1,309 average, $28,480,960, 9 Weeks.

19. “Coco,” Disney, $908,454, 385 locations, $2,360 average, $207,389,121, 13 Weeks.

20. “Phantom Thread,” Focus Features, $891,565, 355 locations, $2,511 average, $17,888,189, 8 Weeks. NVG

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