Tomb Raider Digs Up $2.1 Million In Thursday Previews

Alicia Vikander's Tomb Raider reboot dug up $2.1 million at the Thursday box office. The film, which features Vikander as the explorer Lara Croft, is expected to compete with the fifth weekend of Marvel's Black Panther for the top spot at the weekend box office. (via Variety)

Vikander's Lara Croft is described as being the "fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer." She is inspired to go on her quest while trying to solve her father's disappearance, which leads her to the mysterious tomb on a mythical island off the coast of Japan where he was last seen. Lara has to use her smarts, her faith, and her spirit to help her on her venture into the unknown.

Tomb Raider has received mixed reviews from critics and currently sits at a 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hannah John-Kamen, Nick Frost, Daniel Wu, Antonio Aakeel, and Derek Jacobi also star in the film, which was directed by Roar Uthaug (The Wave) based on a script from Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Alastair Siddons (Trespass Against Us). The $94 million film is projected to make around $23 to $25 million in its opening. (via Box Office Mojo)

Black Panther, which has been tearing up the box office since its debut, is also projected to bring in somewhere around $25 million. If it is able to defeat Tomb Raider for the number one spot, the movie would become the first film to hold the spot for five consecutive weekends since Avatar, which led for seven weekends. The movie, which stars Chadwick Boseman as the titular superhero, currently sits at $1.1 billion worldwide, including $574.7 million domestic.

Third place will likely go to Disney's A Wrinkle in Time, which should narrowly edge out the rom com Love, Simon in its second weekend in theaters. Love, Simon, which was directed by Arrow-verse producer Greg Berlanti, stars Nick Robinson as Simon, a teen who struggles with coming out to his family and friends. The movie has received positive reviews from critics and currently sits at an 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes; it is expected to make between $10 and $12 million in its opening weekend. The movie made $850,000 in Thursday previews.