“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” continued its run at the top of the North American box office but saw its receipts collapse to $11.1 million, during a weekend when cinemas did not have not full, according to figures Sunday from the specialized firm Exhibitor Relations.
Cinemas, challenged by the popularity of streaming services, have suffered from the absence of new ultra-popular films on screen. This weekend’s top 12 totaled less than $35 million, one of the worst numbers of the year, analysts said.
Since its release, “Wakanda Forever,” the sequel to the 2018 smash-hit Afro-futuristic Marvel film, has grossed $409.8 million in North America alone. A figure which, although huge, remains far from the 700.4 million dollars in revenue from the first opus.
Especially since the blockbuster will soon have competition. Another highly anticipated sequel, “Avatar 2: The Way of the Water”, will be released on December 16 in the United States and could revitalize the box office.
In the meantime, the second place in the ranking is occupied by “Violent Night” (8.7 million), an action comedy where the star of “Stranger Things” David Harbor plays a grumpy Santa Claus who is quick to give blows to the club when malicious people break into a wealthy family’s home.
Disney’s animated film “Avalonia: The Curious Voyage” held on to third place with sales reaching $3.6 million.
“The Menu,” a film starring Ralph Fiennes that borrows from horror cinema, film noir and gritty comedy, is fourth, raking in $2.7 million.
The $2 million earned by “Devotion,” the story of two US Navy fighter pilots, was enough to secure it fifth place in the rankings.
Here’s the rest of the top 10:
6- “Black Adam” (1,3 million)
7- “The Fabelmans” (1,2 million)
8- “Met Opera: The Hours” (791.000 dollars)
9- “I Heard the Bells” (751.000 dollars)
10- “Spoiler Alert” (700.000 dollars)