U.S. moviegoers were out in force this Easter holiday weekend. The top five movies in the U.S. alone took in more than US$89mln all told.
Ready Player One, director Steven Spielberg’s latest blockbuster from Time Warner Inc.'s (NYSE:TWX) Warner Bros. studio, dominated the box office in its opening weekend. The film adaption of author Ernest Cline’s 2011 sci-fi novel came in at number one in the U.S., pulling in US$41mln, according to Box Office Mojo.
Director Tyler Perry’s Acrimony, produced by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:LGF.A, NYSE:LGF.B) took the number two spot. The thriller, starring Taraji P. Henson of Empire fame, pulled in US$17mln.
Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE:DIS) Black Panther remains in the top three after seven weeks in theaters. It is on track to be one of the top-grossing movies of all time, according to Forbes Magazine, grossing US$650mln in the U.S. and more than US$1bln worldwide.
I Can Only Imagine, inspired by Christian band MercyMe’s 1999 hit song, took the number four spot at US$10mln in ticket sales. Directed by the Erwin Brothers, the movie follows the troubled life of singer Bart Millard and his complicated relationship with his father.
Rounding out the weekend’s top five money makers is Pacific Rim Uprising from Comcast Corp.'s (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Universal Picture. It's a sequel to the 2013 sci-fi film Pacific Rim. It brought in US$9mln in its second week. John Boyega, who previously starred in Star War’s The Last Jedi, plays Jake Pentecost, a pilot who is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy and save the planet from evil forces.