Age of The Nerd
Ready Player One opened number one – with an estimated $53.2 million. The nostalgic-heavy video game directed by Steven Spielberg based on the popular novel of the same name is the director’s largest opening weekend since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It’s not much of a surprise as Spielberg has shifted his focus to more award-friendly films.
Tyler Perry’s Acrimony finished second with an estimated $17.1 million. Tyler Perry is a inspirational filmmaker. In 12 short years, he’s directed 18 feature films, produced countless TV shows, and finds time to star in movies that he doesn’t produce. I would love to take a masterclass in time management and drive taught by Tyler Perry.
Black Panther continues its amazing run, finishing third with an estimated $11.2 million. Black Panther has now earned $650 million domestically, and $1.2 billion worldwide.
I Can Only Imagine finished fourth, with an estimated $10.7 million ($55.5 million total). And rounding out the top five is Pacific Rim Uprising with an estimated $9.2 million. While Pacific Rim 2 has only earned $45.6 million stateside, it’s earned $122 million in foreign markets.
The top five weekend box office estimates:
| Title | Weekend Domestic | Total Domestic |
| 1. ‘Ready Player One’ | $53.2 million | $53,215,000 |
| 2. ’Tyler Perry’s Acrimony’ | $17.1 million | $17,100,000 |
| 3. ‘Black Panther’ | $11.2 million | $650,669,634 |
| 4. ‘I Can Only Imagine’ | $10.7 million | $55,576,022 |
| 5. ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’ | $9.2 million | $45,670,820 |
Thanks to the fine folks over at Box Office Mojo, you can check out all 33 of Spielberg’s box office results below:
| Rank | Title (click to view) | Studio | Lifetime Gross / Theaters | Opening / Theaters | Date | ||
| 1 | E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial | Uni. | $435,110,554 | 1,778 | $11,835,389 | 1,103 | 6/11/82 |
| 2 | Jurassic Park | Uni. | $402,453,882 | 2,566 | $47,026,828 | 2,404 | 6/11/93 |
| 3 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Par. | $317,101,119 | 4,264 | $100,137,835 | 4,260 | 5/22/08 |
| 4 | Jaws | Uni. | $260,000,000 | 675 | $7,061,513 | 409 | 6/20/75 |
| 5 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Par. | $248,159,971 | 1,078 | $8,305,823 | 1,078 | 6/12/81 |
| 6 | War of the Worlds | Par. | $234,280,354 | 3,910 | $64,878,725 | 3,908 | 6/29/05 |
| 7 | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Uni. | $229,086,679 | 3,565 | $72,132,785 | 3,281 | 5/23/97 |
| 8 | Saving Private Ryan | DW | $216,540,909 | 2,807 | $30,576,104 | 2,463 | 7/24/98 |
| 9 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Par. | $197,171,806 | 2,327 | $29,355,021 | 2,327 | 5/24/89 |
| 10 | Lincoln | BV | $182,207,973 | 2,293 | $944,308 | 11 | 11/9/12 |
| 11 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Par. | $179,870,271 | 1,687 | $25,337,110 | 1,687 | 5/23/84 |
| 12 | Catch Me If You Can | DW | $164,615,351 | 3,225 | $30,053,627 | 3,156 | 12/25/02 |
| 13 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Col. | $135,189,114 | 650 | $5,379,460 | 272 | 11/16/77 |
| 14 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind (40th Anniversary) | Sony | $135,189,114 | 901 | $1,767,758 | 901 | 9/1/17 |
| 15 | Minority Report | Fox | $132,072,926 | 3,001 | $35,677,125 | 3,001 | 6/21/02 |
| 16 | Hook | TriS | $119,654,823 | 2,254 | $13,522,535 | 2,197 | 12/11/91 |
| 17 | The Color Purple | WB | $98,467,863 | 1,109 | $1,710,333 | 192 | 12/20/85 |
| 18 | Schindler’s List | Uni. | $96,065,768 | 1,389 | $656,636 | 25 | 12/15/93 |
| 19 | The Post | Fox | $81,639,452 | 2,851 | $526,011 | 9 | 12/22/17 |
| 20 | War Horse | BV | $79,884,879 | 2,856 | $7,515,402 | 2,376 | 12/25/11 |
| 21 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | WB | $78,616,689 | 3,242 | $29,352,630 | 3,242 | 6/29/01 |
| 22 | The Terminal | DW | $77,872,883 | 2,914 | $19,053,199 | 2,811 | 6/18/04 |
| 23 | The Adventures of Tintin | Par. | $77,591,831 | 3,087 | $9,720,993 | 3,087 | 12/21/11 |
| 24 | Bridge of Spies | BV | $72,313,754 | 2,873 | $15,371,203 | 2,811 | 10/16/15 |
| 25 | The BFG | BV | $55,483,770 | 3,392 | $18,775,350 | 3,357 | 7/1/16 |
| 26 | Ready Player One | WB | $53,215,000 | 4,234 | $41,210,000 | 4,234 | 3/29/18 |
| 27 | Munich | Uni. | $47,403,685 | 1,498 | $4,152,260 | 532 | 12/23/05 |
| 28 | Amistad | DW | $44,229,441 | 1,019 | $4,573,523 | 322 | 12/10/97 |
| 29 | Always | Uni. | $43,858,790 | 1,206 | $3,713,480 | 1,016 | 12/22/89 |
| 30 | 1941 | Uni. | $31,755,742 | – | $2,701,898 | 325 | 12/14/79 |
| 31 | Twilight Zone: The Movie (Segment 2) |
WB | $29,450,919 | 1,288 | $6,614,366 | 1,275 | 6/24/83 |
| 32 | Empire of the Sun | WB | $22,238,696 | 673 | $1,314,509 | 225 | 12/11/87 |
| 33 | The Sugarland Express | Uni. | $7,500,000 | – | n/a | – | 3/31/74 |
Lifetime Gross Total (33): $4,586,294,008
Average: $138,978,606
Opening Gross Average (22): $28,269,695 (Wide Releases Only)
