'Black Panther' tops 'Wrinkle' as Disney dominates box office

The Marvel superhero movie took $40.8 million, industry monitor Exhibitor Relations reported, bumping it up to a domestic total of $561.7 million in its four-week run, making it the seventh-biggest domestic release ever.

The film's opening in China -- the world's second biggest market behind the US -- pushed its global total past the $1 billion mark that only 32 other movies have reached.

"Black Panther," starring Chadwick Boseman as the titular king of the African utopia Wakanda, is the first movie since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" to top the domestic box offices for four consecutive weekends.

"A Wrinkle in Time," a fantasy adventure that celebrates inclusion and accepting personal flaws, took in $33.1 million in its opening weekend -- a letdown for a big-budget Disney film. 

The story about a search through time and space for a missing father starring Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine has garnered mixed reviews.

Director Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to helm a movie with a budget in excess of $100 million.

In third place was new horror sequel "The Strangers: Prey at Night," from Aviron studios, which took in $10.4 million. 

The poorly reviewed movie -- Variety says it serves up "the same old meat-puppet gore and cattle-prod scares" -- stars Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson as a couple whose family is attacked by three masked men.

Next was Fox espionage thriller "Red Sparrow," with Jennifer Lawrence as a Russian ballerina-turned-elite spy. 

The movie, which took $8.5 million in its second week, co-stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeremy Irons and Charlotte Rampling. 

In fifth spot was Warner Bros. comedy thriller "Game Night" with $7.9 million. The movie, starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, tells the story of six friends who get together around beers and stumble into a dangerous reality game.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Peter Rabbit" ($6.8 million)

"Death Wish" ($6.6 million)

"Annihilation" ($3.3 million)

"The Hurricane Heist" ($3 million)

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" ($2.7 million)

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