Box-Office: “Space Jam” Beats “Black Widow”

LeBron James has booted Natasha Romanoff off the box-office throne after just one week.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Space Jam: A New Legacy” is exceeding expectations and is expected to pull in $32 million domestically following a $13.2 million haul on Friday.

The $150 million budget film is on track to be easily the biggest opening for a family title in the pandemic era – even with the film being simultaneously available on HBO Max, suffering some scathing reviews, and amidst growing concerns in the U.S. over the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Marvel’s “Black Widow” saw a rather jaw-dropping 80% plunge on Friday, dropping to $8 million for that day and on track for a $25-27 million second weekend – down around 67% which is Marvel’s biggest to date (“Spider-Man: Homecoming” was the next nearest at 62%).

However, the fall is on par with the second-weekend fall of “F9: The Fast Saga” and confirming the pandemic decline is far from over.

The delayed thriller sequel “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” came in third and is expected to snag $8.6 million for the weekend, while “F9” and the “Boss Baby” sequel round out the top five. Doco “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” also fared well in limited release with $1.7 million for the weekend.