LeBron James and the animated Looney Tunes crew dominated this weekend’s box office competition inSpace Jam: A New Legacy. The highly anticipated sequel debut generated $31.6 million at the domestic box office, which surprised analysts who expected the movie to take a backseat to Marvel Studios’Black Widow. The Warner Bros. sequel to 1996’sSpace Jameasily beat previous forecasts to take the number one spot, leading James mention the haters on social media. “Hi haters!,” James posted on social media, with a grinning emoji. In addition to LeBron James,Space Jam: A New Legacyalso features NBA stars Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Nneka Ogwumike, Diana Taurasi and Klay Thompson.
Black Widowwas expected to keep its number one spot in its second weekend after an $80 million debut last weekend. However,Space Jam: A New Legacyput a stop to that. With that being said, Marvel Studios still has a hit on its hands in this post-pandemicbox officelandscape, boasting a worldwide total of just over $264 million. In addition to the theater numbers, the latest offering from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is bringing in big numbers on Disney+ from fans choosing to stream the movie from home. Disney has yet to announce a Chinese release date forBlack Widow, though they are expected to announce one soon.
Escape Room: Tournament of Championsdebuted inmovie theatersthis weekend at number three with $8.8 million. The sequel’s earnings are on par with analyst predictions, which saw it earning less than its predecessor’sEscape Room(2019). Universal’s latest in theFast & Furioussaga,F9, took the fourth position after bringing in $7.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $154 million. Globally, the sequel has earned $591.2 million.F9has helped movie theaters all over the world begin to bounce back from the pandemic.
The Boss Baby: Family Businesstook the fifth spot this weekend after earning $4.7 million. The sequel has received mixed reviews from critics, but has been a steady earner sincedebuting three weeks ago.The Forever Purgecame in at number six after bringing in $4.1 million. The sequel has earned just over $48.4 million globally in its three weeks in theaters.A Quiet Place IIfell to number seven this weekend with $2.3 million. The horror thriller has generated over $260 million globally.
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdaindebuted at number eight this weekend with $1.9 million. In addition to being theyear’s top independent film debut, it is also the highest grossing of a documentary. Disney’sCruellatook the ninth spot after bringing in $1.1 million. To date, the live-action take on Cruella de Vil’s origin story has earned $224.1 million globally. Finally,Pigdebuted at number ten with $945K. You can check out the rest of this weekend’s box office data over atThe Numbers.
