For Disney, the weekend was a double-edged sword, since it is home to both films. Wrinkle in Time, which cost $103 million to make before marketing, is the first major miss domestically for the studio since The BFG and Alice Through the Looking Glass in 2016. DuVernay's adaptation was hampered by poor word of mouth following generally bad reviews and a B CinemaScore.

Conversely, Black Panther continued to dazzle, earning $41.1 million from 3,942 locations to score one of the best fourth weekends ever. The movie, upping its domestic total to $562 million, is now the No. 2 superhero pic of all time behind Marvel's The Avengers. Ryan Coogler's superhero film also bounded past the $1 billion mark at the global box office over the weekend after landing in its final foreign market, China, where it debuted to a stellar $66.5 million — among the top five launches ever for a superhero pic.

Disney's Dave Hollis downplays the suggestion that Wrinkle in Time underperformed. "With both films, you can see that diverse voices matter and that empowered women matter," he says. "In the case of Wrinkle in Time, people want stories about optimism and hope."

DuVernay is the first black woman to helm a $100 million movie. In the pic, Storm Reid plays the heroine at the heart of the story, 13-year-old Meg Murry, who must find her father and save the universe along the way. The film's star-studded cast also includes Oprah Winfrey, Levi Miller, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Chris Pine.

According to comScore/Screen Engine, Wrinkle in Time's audience was 17 percent African-American, compared to 37 percent for Black Panther on opening weekend. Caucasians made up the largest share of Wrinkle's audience (56 percent), followed by Hispanics (20 percent), Asians (5 percent) and Native American/other (3 percent).

Nearly 60 percent of ticket buyers were female, while a hefty 57 percent were under the age of 25.

Overseas, Wrinkle in Time rolled out in six major markets, grossing $6.3 million for a global bow of $39.6 million.

Another female-led event film also tested the waters overseas: Warner Bros. and MGM's Tomb Raider reboot, starring Alicia Vikander. The movie opened across Asia — save for China and Vietnam — a week ahead of its domestic debut, earning $14.1 million, including $2.9 million in South Korea.

In North America, three additional movies opened opposite Wrinkle in Time.

Aviron's The Strangers: Prey at Night, a sequel of sorts to 2008's The Strangers, fared the best, placing No. 3 with $10.5 million from 2,464 theaters.

The Hurricane Heist, directed by Rob Cohen, bowed at No. 9 with an estimated $3.2 million from 2,402 locations. Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios is handling the movie.

And Amazon Studios and STXfilms' Gringo, a dark comedy starring David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron and Joel Edgerton, debuted outside the top 10 with $2.6 million. Amazon fully financed the film and paid for marketing.

In other action, Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water enjoyed a huge bump following its Academy Award wins last weekend, including for best picture and director. The movie grossed $2.4 million from 1,552 theaters — a 63 percent jump — for a domestic total of $61 million and a global tally of $148 million.

At the specialty box office, Focus Features launched Thoroughbreds in 549 theaters. The drama, marking the final performance of the late Anton Yelchin, took in $1.2 million. Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy also star.

And IFC opened The Death of Stalin in four theaters. The comedy, which has been banned in Russia, posted a strong theater average of $45,327, the best of the year so far behind Black Panther.