The weekend box office saw "A Wrinkle in Time" flattened by "Black Panther," which remained in the No. 1 spot for the fourth weekend in a row.
The Marvel movie raked in $41.1 million this weekend and officially surpassed "The Dark Knight" to become the seventh all-time top domestic earner with a total of $562 million, according to The Wrap.
While Ava DuVernay’s "A Wrinkle in Time" came in second place at the box office this weekend, the Disney release only opened to $33.3 million against a reported $103 million budget.
The turnout put it well behind Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther," which was also released by Disney.
Despite its lackluster opening, "A Wrinkle in Time" helped make history at the box office this weekend.
According to CNN, this is the first time that that two films driven by black directors with budgets exceeding $100 million have managed to clinch the top two box office spots.
"A Wrinkle in Time" follows Meg (Storm Reid) as she embarks upon a quest to find her parents, Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine) and Dr. Kate Murry (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) somewhere in the universe. Along the way, Meg encounters many memorable characters and a fair share of adventure.
Coogler praised DuVernay's efforts in an essay for ESPN.
"Ava is a pioneer," he wrote, noting that she took a book that many said was "unfilmable" and adapted it into a movie that "explodes with hope, with love and with women warriors."
He also referred to the hidden message found within "A Wrinkle in Time" that told the story of "a little black girl with glasses" who refused to accept that her father was lost.
"The main character in the film, Meg, uses her love, her hope and her kickass skills as a scientist to bring him back, and maybe she saves the universe along the way," he wrote.