With an opening weekend draw of $33.3 million, A Wrinkle In Time fell just short of unseating Black Panther (which made another $44.1 million) from its reign - but in placing second, the cinematic remake of the classic 1962 novel by the same title still managed to make history. With Ava DuVernay's highly anticipated feature following Ryan Coogler's Marvel dynamo, the Cali counterparts become the first Black directors to spot the No. 1 and 2 blockbuster hits in the same week.
It was actually a record-breaking weekend on several fronts, for both films. Upon its Friday (March 9) premiere in theaters, A Wrinkle In Time marked the first ever big-budget film ($100 million) release from a woman of color. Meanwhile, Black Panther's $66.5 million China debut pushed its international draw to over $100 million, thereby helping the film get over the $1 billion hump. It is now the fifth Marvel Comics Universe movie to haul in the big billion (The Avengers, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Iron Man 3, Captain America: Civil War - are the others).
While Black Panther is, in part, largely being celebrated for its predominantly Black cast, A Wrinkle In Time features a diverse slate of actors that includes Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Mindy Kaling, Storm Reid, and Zach Galifianakis among others. Still, the sci-fi piece is still being heralded for its social messaging directed towards Black audiences, with one NBCNews review calling the movie "Ava DuVernay's love letter to black girls."
