This Weekend Was the First Time EVER Two Black-Helmed Movies Held the Top Box Office Spots
For the last month, Ryan Coogler‘s foray into the Marvel cinematic universe, Black Panther has absolutely dominated the box office, both at home and abroad. After this weekend’s sales, the movie topped $1 BILLION in global box office revenue, but it isn’t the only adventure flick breaking records in theaters.
Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of the YA novel A Wrinkle In Time raked over $30 million in domestic sales during its opening weekend, landing it in the number-two box office slot after Black Panther and making history in the process — Black Panther and A Wrinkle In Time are the first two Black-made movies to rank first and second in the US box office ever.
The two blockbusters are also the second and third Black directed films that have ever had a budget of over $100 million dollars to be made by Black film makers (the first was The Fast and the Furious 7, directed by F. Gary Gray), and the fact that these two movies take up spots one and two at the box office is an exciting feat. DuVernay is also the first Black woman to ever be handed such a big budget movie.
While critics adore Black Panther, many (white, male) critics have lambasted DuVernay’s take on the Madeline L’Engle novel. But the movie’s target audience seems to love the adaptation, which stars Storm Reid as the plucky lead character, Meg Murray, who is on a mission to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance with the help of three celestial beings played by Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, and Reese Witherspoon.
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD DOESN'T CLICK WITH A PRETENTIOUS R-RATED FILM MADE BY A WHITE MAN: "Well, yeah, what did you expect?"
AN ADULT WHITE MALE CRITIC DOESN'T CLICK WITH #WRINKLEINTIME: "Clearly the problem is the movie itself."— Amy's 2018 wishes: Black Panther & Wrinkle in Time (@spooloflies) March 11, 2018
No, of course I didn't sit through the entire credits of #WrinkleInTime sobbing….. A movie has not touched me that profoundly in a very very long time. I've never had an experience that so thoroughly connected me to my 12 yr old self. @ava thank you for every joyful tear.
— Meagan/Farley (@LadyPondMinimus) March 11, 2018
Everyone should see #WrinkleinTime this film is so important. even though I saw it last week it still resonates with me. You can always feel when someone pours their all into a film and boy did I feel it!
Support the queen @ava this weekend and go!!
— directed by (@ciaraboniface) March 7, 2018
So I’m headed home from #WrinkleinTime and uhhhh I had to record a thank you to @ava.
Let me try and dry up my tears before I drive home. 💜 pic.twitter.com/Mmb9iQhcfs— Kayla Marie- Tessered Gloriously (@Maria_Giesela) March 9, 2018
Will you check out A Wrinkle In Time? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Photo via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Hearst)
