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'Black Panther' pounces to box office glory with $218M haul

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/02/19/021918_chad.jpg"/><figcaption>The Black Panther lives. Photo by Marvel Studios</figcaption></figure></div>WASHINGTON - As the US kicked back for a long weekend, Disney&#x27;s &quot;Black Panther&quot; got off to a superhero start in the North American box office, rocketing to the top spot with estimated earnings of $218 million, data showed Sunday.According to figures from industry tracker Exhibitor Relations, the highly-anticipated 18th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe earned $192 million over Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- exceeding predictions of $170 million.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/02/13/18/movie-review-black-panther-is-a-stonecold-superhero-epic">Movie review: &#x27;Black Panther&#x27; is a stonecold superhero epic</a></li></ul><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/01/31/18/in-photos-black-panther-stars-highlight-african-culture-at-marvel-films-premiere">IN PHOTOS: &#x27;Black Panther&#x27; stars highlight African culture at Marvel film&#x27;s premiere</a></li></ul>Thanks to Presidents&#x27; Day in the US on Monday, &quot;Black Panther&#x27;s&quot; estimated earnings were boosted to a stratospheric $218 million -- crushing &quot;Deadpool&#x27;s&quot; 2016 Presidents&#x27; Day record of $152.1 million.In the Philippines, Black Panther also scored the year&#x27;s biggest first-day gross to-date with a staggering P45.10-million in box-office sales on February 14.Comparatively, the Wakandan King outperformed the opening day numbers of recent Marvel titles, including 2015&#x27;s Ant-Man (by 235%), 2014&#x27;s Guardians of the Galaxy (by 183%), 2016&#x27;s Doctor Strange (by 124%), 2014&#x27;s Captain America: The Winter Solidier (by 63%) and last year&#x27;s Thor: Ragnarok (by 41%).The film, from Disney-owned Marvel Studios, features a star-studded, almost entirely black cast led by Chadwick Boseman as the first non-white superhero to get his own stand-alone movie in the franchise.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yH72D12BkzY" width="560"></iframe></figure>Starring alongside Michael B Jordan and Lupita Nyong&#x27;o, Boseman plays the titular superhero also known as T&#x27;Challa, king and protector of the technologically advanced fictional African nation of Wakanda, an affluent, never-colonized utopia.In at second was family-friendly &quot;Peter Rabbit,&quot; based on Beatrix Potter&#x27;s classic children&#x27;s book. Mixing live actors with computer-generated animation, it brought in an estimated $22.1 million over the holiday weekend for total earnings of $53.1 million.James Corden voices the lead bunny which feuds with garden owner Domhnall Gleeson for the affections of sweet-hearted neighbor Rose Byrne.Dropping to third was last week&#x27;s box office champion, Universal&#x27;s &quot;Fifty Shades Freed,&quot; with takings of $19 million, down from $38.6 million the previous week.Starring Dakota Johnson as English lit major-turned-publisher Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, her kinky lover-turned-husband, &quot;Freed&quot; is the last of the &quot;Fifty Shades&quot; trilogy, which has enjoyed massive popularity among primarily female audiences.Sony&#x27;s &quot;Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle&quot; placed fourth in its ninth week in theaters, matching last week&#x27;s earnings with $10 million.Featuring Dwayne &quot;The Rock&quot; Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black, the family film tells the tale of a group of teens transported inside a video game world.Director Clint Eastwood&#x27;s &quot;The 15:17&quot; dropped two places into fifth, taking $9 million.The film recounts the story of three young Americans who foiled a terrorist attack on board a train in France in 2015. In an alternative approach that divided critics, Eastwood cast the three men -- none of whom had any acting experience -- to play themselves.Rounding out the top 10 were:&quot;The Greatest Showman&quot; ($6.3 million)&quot;Early Man&quot; ($4.2 million)&quot;Maze Runner: The Death Cure&quot; ($3 million)&quot;Winchester&quot; ($2.7 million)&quot;Samson&quot; ($2.4 million)<div>ska/it</div><div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

WASHINGTON - As the US kicked back for a long weekend, Disney's "Black Panther" got off to a superhero start in the North American box office, rocketing to the top spot with estimated earnings of $218 million, data showed Sunday.

WASHINGTON - As the US kicked back for a long weekend, Disney's "Black Panther" got off to a superhero start in the North American box office, rocketing to the top spot with estimated earnings of $218 million, data showed Sunday.