As Black Panther enters its fifth week in theaters, and the widely talked-about films Love, Simon and A Wrinkle in Time are just ending their first week, we’re counting down the top five box office hits as of March 18th.

1) Black Panther- $605,027,218

Produced by the ever-popular Marvel Studios, Black Panther continues to dominate the box office as it enters its fifth week in cinemas. The film has continued to hit numerous records, from “Biggest February opening of all time” to “Top-Grossing Opening Weekend for a Film With a Predominately Black Cast”, this movie seems to be hitting all of the right marks without losing any momentum. It has overwhelmingly positive reviews and holds and impressive 97% score on the Rotten Tomatoes website. Black Panther, with its captivating story and diverse cast, has audiences flocking to the cinema and falling in love with this highly-anticipated comic book movie adaptation.

2) A Wrinkle in Time-  $60,751,533

Disney’s rendition of Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel finally hit theaters this year. The beloved novel is highly regarded by many, and the anticipation for this movie was enormous. It pulled huge numbers upon it’s initial release, and is now going on it’s second week in theaters. With it’s diverse cast featuring newcomer Storm Reid (who plays Meg Murry), the film is only another fantastically representative piece that was released this year. It is also the first $100 million-plus blockbuster directed by a black woman (Ava DuVernay), making this film a historical milestone for Hollywood. Unfortunately, the film has received lackluster reviews, and is ranked at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. As it stands currently though, the film was a box office success for Disney.

3) Tomb Raider- $23,633,317

Based on the 1996 video game of the same name, the 2018 movie adaptation of Tomb Raider is now the third movie for the property. The previous films (from 2001 and 2003 respectively) received poor reviews, but managed to turn a profit. The 2018 version currently has mixed reviews, but seems to be doing well at the box office, considering the amount of money the film earned after just one week in theaters. Only time will tell if this movie will become the best of the series, or if it will be forgotten to history, only to be rebooted again down the line.

4) I Can Only Imagine- $17,099,151

The story behind the song by the Christian band MercyMe hit theaters on March 16th. The film follows Bart Millard (the singer of the band) as he grows up in Texas whilst suffering both physical and emotional abuse from his father. This abuse later leads to his inspiration to write the song “I Can Only Imagine” in 1999, unaware that it would go on to be a huge hit. The film currently holds a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has already sold numerous tickets. For a film with only a $7 million dollar budget, its first week at the box office surpassed everyone’s expectations, pulling in a large profit in a very short amount of time. The film is also a landmark for religious adaptations, as it has claimed the spot for the fourth best-ever opening for a faith-based movie.

5) Love, Simon- $11,756,244

Based off of the 2015 young adult novel by Becky Albertalli, Love, Simon is a romantic-comedy from FOX. It’s the first major studio release of a film centered around a gay teenager, making it a very important release for the LGBT+ community. The film offers a fantastic insight to the tribulations of growing up as an LGBT individual, and provides a much-needed humanization of the LGBT community. After decades of one-note stereotypical representations, and after numerous films featuring heterosexual love stories, this film brings a refreshing take on a simple love story to a community that desperately needs it. Featuring a diverse cast, this movie (along with films like Black Panther, Wonder Woman, etc.) is an indicator that breaking the traditional Hollywood formula can be profitable and well-received. The film also achieved critical acclaim, holding an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. After the success of this film, we may be beginning to see a shift in the types of stories being shown in theaters.

*Update:  

As of March 25th, the totals rank as follows: 

1)Black Panther-$631,357,854

2)A Wrinkle in Time-$74,058,099

3)Tomb Raider-$41,420,724

4)I Can Only Imagine-$38,084,012

5)Love, Simon-$23,503,052