Editor’s Note: The original version of this story mistakenly cited Black Panther as the first superhero movie to spend 12 weekends in the top ten, overlooking 1989’s Batman — which did so 13 times. We apologize for the oversight.
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Back in black: Disney’s juggernaut Black Panther has earned a 12th weekend in the top 10, making it one of the only films of any genre to do so this entire decade.
Panther earned an estimated $3.14 million this weekend, for 7th place. That was down from 5th place last weekend.
Two weekends ago, the film came in 8th and appeared potentially likely to soon exit the top 10. But then the release of Avengers: Infinity War — which also stars Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther character — helped resuscitate the box office.
“If you go onto social media, people are creating their own double feature with Black Panther and Infinity War,” Disney Worldwide President of Distribution Dave Hollis told BOXOFFICE. “This is a testament to a power of the cultural phenomenon that was and is Black Panther.”
How does this compare? The next closest superhero movies on that longevity measure have been Guardians of the Galaxy and The Dark Knight, both with 10 weekends in the top 10.
It’s rare indeed for a film achieve the feat of 12+ weekends in the top 10. Panther is now only the 9th film of the past 15 years to do so. (However, it has been increasing in frequency lately — Panther is the 4th film to reach the feat in the past two years alone.) The other most recent films to reach the mark are:
| Title | Total top 10 weekends | Release date | 12th weekend date |
| Black Panther | 12 | Fri 2/16/2018 | Fri 5/4/2018 |
| Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | 12 | Wed 12/20/2017 | Fri 3/9/2018 |
| La La Land | 13 | Fri 12/9/2016 | Fri 3/3/2017 |
| Zootopia | 13 | Fri 3/4/2016 | Fri 5/20/2016 |
| Frozen | 16 | Fri 11/22/2013 | Fri 2/14/2014 |
| Silver Linings Playbook | 12 | Fri 11/16/2012 | Fri 3/15/2013 |
| Avatar | 14 | Fri 12/18/2009 | Fri 3/5/2010 |
| Slumdog Millionaire | 12 | Wed 11/12/2008 | Fri 3/13/2009 |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | 12 | Wed 12/17/2003 | Fri 3/12/2004 |
Looking to the future, could Panther extend the streak next weekend, for 13 frames in the top 10?
It certainly seems possible. The film came in 7th place this weekend, not 8th or 9th or 10th and barely hanging on to the top tier. And only two other films open in wide release next weekend: Breaking In and Life of the Party.
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