Marvel Studios film “Black Panther” made Oscars history on Tuesday, landing the first best picture nomination for a superhero movie, as crowd-pleasing blockbusters muscled into a contest recently dominated by art-house fare.
The combined powers of superheroes, the Pixar brand and a drought of family-friendly films helped “Incredibles 2” to become the best animated opening of all time, the biggest PG-rated launch ever and the eighth-highest film launch overall.
A wave of feverish anticipation, fawning critical acclaim and groundbreaking cultural meaning pushed “Black Panther” to a record-setting $192 million debut in U.S. and Canada theatres, firmly establishing the superhero sensation as a box-office landmark.
LOS ANGELES — “Wonder Woman” fell to second place in its third weekend in theaters, but it’s still doing the heavy lifting for the otherwise lackluster summer box office.
It was a battle of the sequels at the multiplexes this weekend, as “Boo! A Madea Halloween” narrowly edged out “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” to claim first place at the domestic box office.