Marvel Studios Falls out of Top 10 at Box Office for First Time Since February

If you want proof that Marvel Studios is now the dominant force in movies, look no further. As of writing this, the weekend of June 29th - July 1st marks the first time that a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie hasn't been in the Top 10 since February.

That's right: with the one-two punch of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios managed to stay in the top 10 of box office earners for no less than twenty weeks!

A good deal of that accomplishment was bolstered by Black Panther, which held a place in the box office top ten for thirteen weeks straight - including five weeks straight in the no. 1 spot. Meanwhile, Avengers: Infinity War held a top ten spot for ten weeks even, with three weeks in no. 1 spot. The difference in longevity comes with a lot of factors - the biggest being the fact that Black Panther was released in February, with much less in the way of competition from rival blockbusters. On the other hand, Avengers: Infinity War was released in a crazy crowded release window, with films like Deadpool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story cutting into its box office lane rather quickly.

Not that Marvel has anything to fret about in either case: Black Panther earned $1.3 billion in its run, while Avengers: Infinity War has given Marvel Studio its first $2 billion earner. In other words, Marvel has no reason to remember 2018 as anything but a year of unprecedented successes.

While this headline may seem like it has a negative connotation, Marvel has no real reason to worry. As of writing this, Marvel Studios' third 2018 release, Ant-Man and the Wasp is set to hit theaters this weekend. After a wave of positive first reviews, it seems like the Ant-Man sequel will be the perfect fun dessert for the heavy meal that was Avengers: Infinity War. With that kind of buzz (pun) and a brand that appeals to a wide demographic, there's no reason to expect Ant-Man and the Wasp to fall short of bringing Marvel back into the top ten lineup after just one week out. And given the lack of major competitors for the next month or so, there's no reason to expect it can't hang around the top ten for awhile - even if it doesn't bring Marvel to a billion-dollar trifecta for the year.

Avengers: Infinity War is now playing in theaters - Ant-Man and The Wasp arrives on July 6. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.