Marvel’s Black Widow blasts the weekend box office!

BLACK WIDOW aims for big bucks in first place!

Fans who have been eagerly awaiting the return of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies hurried to theaters this weekend, thrusting BLACK WIDOW to the top of the box office with an estimated opening of $80 million!

The action-thriller, which dives into the past of Scarlett Johansson’s espionage expert and her spy “family”, topped the recent $70 million start of F9: THE FAST SAGA and scored the biggest domestic opening since STAR WARS – EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER in December 2019.

The prequel/sequel (mainly set between the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR) also captured $78 million from international audiences, for a worldwide weekend of $158 million.

Disney has additionally stated that the movie, which was simultaneously released on the Disney+ streaming service for an extra $30 Premier Access fee, has generated more than $60 million from that platform and thus technically earned an estimated global total opening of $215 million.

Among the MCU releases, the $80 million domestic start puts BLACK WIDOW right between ANT MAN AND THE WASP ($75.8 million) and DOCTOR STRANGE ($85 million), both obviously released under better circumstances. Tacking on the Disney+ bucks pushes it past THOR: RAGNAROK ($122 million) and brings it closer to the $146 million opening of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2.

BLACK WIDOW was originally intended to kick off the summer movie season in May 2020, but was delayed along with everything else during the pandemic. The movie marks the first theatrical MCU entry in over two years, following the post-ENDGAME release of SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME on July 2, 2019.

Directed by Cate Shortland (BERLIN SYNDROME), the new PG-13 Disney release with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz and Ray Winstone cost a reported $200 million.

Critics seemed mostly interested in the return of the MCU and the (late) spotlight on Johansson’s character, giving the movie an 80% average on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 68. Zip on over to the JoBlo review HERE.

After two weekends on top, the PG-13 sequel F9: THE FAST SAGA rolled down to second place with $10.8 million on its third weekend in domestic theaters.

Universal’s tenth movie in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise (including the HOBBS & SHAW spinoff) has cruised to a domestic total of $141.3 million and $541 million worldwide, on a reported $200 million cost.

In third place was the animated DreamWorks sequel THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS with $8.7 million, teetering by 46% from its opening last weekend. The PG-rated Universal release (also streaming on Peacock) has a ten-day domestic total of $34.7 million on a reported $82 million cost.

The R-rated sequel THE FOREVER PURGE was in fourth place with $6.7 million, losing 47% from its opening last weekend (a relatively decent hold for a horror movie). Universal’s $18 million murder-holiday thriller has a ten-day domestic total of $27.4 million and $34.8 million worldwide.

In fifth place was the PG-13 sci-fi thriller A QUIET PLACE: PART II with $3 million. After seven weekends, the Paramount horror sequel has a domestic total of $150.6 million and $263 million worldwide, on a reported $61 million cost.

The Disney prequel CRUELLA held onto sixth place with $2.2 million for its seventh weekend in theaters (and on Disney+ for a $30 fee). The PG-13 movie with Emma Stone as the title villainess now has a domestic total of $80.7 million and $216.8 million worldwide.

In seventh place was the action-comedy THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD with $1.6 million on its fourth weekend. Lionsgate’s R-rated sequel with Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek has a domestic total of $35 million and $56 million worldwide, on a reported cost of $70 million.

The PG-rated sequel PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY was in eighth place with $1.25 million over its fifth domestic weekend. The $45 million live-action/animated comedy from Sony has a domestic total of $37.7 million and $139 million worldwide.

In ninth place was the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical IN THE HEIGHTS with $630,000 on its fifth weekend in theaters. The PG-13 Warner Bros. drama (which leaves HBO Max this week) has a domestic total of $28.3 million and $39 million worldwide, on a reported cost of $55 million.

Closing out the list was the R-rated road trip drama ZOLA with $620,000 on its second weekend. The Twitter-born movie has a domestic total of $3.5 million.

Outside the chart, supernatural sequel THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT was scared out of the Top 10, taking $63 million domestic and $183 million worldwide.

Next weekend offers some diverse options like the biopic ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN, the horror sequel ESCAPE ROOM: TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS, the sequel SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY (also releasing on HBO Max), and the Nicolas Cage truffle hunting drama PIG.

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