Disney's box office dominance over the past few years has been quite the sight to behold, whether it be its Marvel movies, its Star Wars adventures, or its animated fare from Disney Animation Studios or Pixar. Like a well-oiled machine, the studio looks to transfer its box office power from one blockbuster, Marvel's Black Panther, which has won for the past three weeks in a row, to another, the studio's live-action adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. This adaptation of Madeleine D'Engle's timeless novel should have no trouble taking down the three other newcomers opening this weekend, Entertainment Studios' The Hurricane Heist, STX Entertainment's Gringo and Aviron's Strangers: Prey at Night this weekend.
As of now, none of these four newcomers have enough reviews accrued to post a Rotten Tomatoes rating, but that will change over the next few days. One of the many reasons why A Wrinkle In Time should have no trouble taking down these newcomers is it already has a huge advantage in terms of theater count. A Wrinkle In Time is expected to open in an estimated 3,800 theaters, which is far more than all of its competitors this weekend, but not quite as much as the 4,084 theaters Black Panther was shown in last weekend. The Hurricane Heist is expected to arrive in approximately 2,500 theaters, while both Strangers: Prey at Night and Gringo are expected to debut in roughly 2,400 theaters. We're predicting that A Wrinkle In Time will open in first place with $55.6 million, followed by Black Panther dropping to second place with $39.2 million.
Even before production started on A Wrinkle In Time, the adaptation made history, with director Ava DuVernay becoming the first ever African-American female director to take the helm of a $100 million movie. Only one other female director has accomplished that feat before, Patty Jenkins, who took the helm of Wonder Woman, which was the third-highest grossing movie of 2017 with $412.5 million. While we certainly know A Wrinkle In Time cost more than $100 million, no exact budget figures have been released at this time, and it will be interesting to see how international audiences react to this movie as well. A Wrinkle In Time will not have a release in China, which limits the amount of U.S. movies released in its country each year.
We're predicting that the top five will include Red Sparrow in third place with $9.8 million, followed by newcomer The Hurricane Heist, which looks absolutely insane, in fourth place with $8.1 million and Death Wish in fifth place with $6.2 million. The top 10 will be rounded out by Gringo ($5.8 million), Game Night ($5.4 million), Peter Rabbit ($5 million), Strangers: Prey At Night ($4.1 million) and Annihilation ($3.3 million). Also opening in limited release is Focus Features' Thoroughbreds, Vertical Entertainment's Sheep & Wolves, Sony Pictures Classics' The Leisure Seeker, Magnolia's Leaning Into the Wind, Well Go USA's Girls Vs. Gangsters, IFC's The Death of Stalin and Cinema Guild's Claire's Camera.
Looking ahead to next weekend, Warner Bros. rolls out Tomb Raider, alongside 20th Century Fox's Love, Simon and Roadside Attractions' I Can Only Remember in wide release. Also opening in limited release is Focus Features' 7 Days in Entebbe, The Orchard's Flower, Indican's The Happys, Screen Media's Josie, Good Deed's Journey's End and Vertical Entertainment's Tilt. Take a look at our box office projections for the weekend of March 16, courtesy of Box Office Mojo, and check back on Sunday for the top 10 estimates.