‘Black Widow’ spins new COVID-era box office record
Image: Marvel via AFP Relaxnews
New Disney superhero film “Black Widow” took in an estimated $80 million in North America this three-day weekend, a pandemic-era record as the Marvel Universe showed continuing lure, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
The movie, starring Scarlett Johansson as the cat-suited super spy, took in an additional $60 million streaming on Disney Plus (at $29.99 for subscribers), and $78 million internationally, for an impressive global total of $218 million.
Hollywood Reporter called it “unprecedented” for a studio to announce its streaming total on a film’s opening weekend. The film has yet to open in China.
Far behind in second place was Universal’s action thriller “F9: The Fast Saga,” at $10.9 million, down by more than half from last weekend’s take.
It had held the previous pandemic-era record with a $70 million opening. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and John Cena star in this ninth installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise.
Universal also claimed the next two box-office spots.
In third was its animated sequel “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” at $8.7 million. The yarn about a cannily can-do “boss baby” features the voices of Alec Baldwin, Eva Longoria, Jeff Goldblum and Lisa Kudrow.
Horror film “The Forever Purge” placed fourth, at $6.7 million. This latest in the “Purge” series is again set in a dystopian near-future where all crime, even murder, is made legal one day a year. Ana de la Reguera and Tenoch Huerta star.
In fifth was Paramount’s “A Quiet Place: Part II,” at $3 million, pushing its domestic total near $150 million in its seventh week. John Krasinski directed the horror film; his wife Emily Blunt stars.
This weekend marked the first time since COVID-19 struck that the domestic box office has surpassed $100 million. It hit $116.8 million, 20% higher than last weekend.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
“Cruella” ($2.2 million)
“The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” ($1.6 million)
“Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” ($1.3 million)
“In the Heights” ($630,000)
“Zola” ($620,000)
JB
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