Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Is Already Crushing DC At The Box Office
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever box office numbers are coming in and it is 143% ahead of Black Adam and 26% ahead of The Batman's opening weekends.
Black Adam has enjoyed three consecutive weeks as the number-one movie in the world, but with the release of Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the DC superhero’s reign will finally come to an end come Sunday, as the new Marvel movie is pulling in huge box office gains. According to Deadline, the latest entry in the ever-growing MCU is already pulling in massive numbers at the box office, with the film’s first two days’ total offshore proceeds estimated to be 143% ahead of Black Adam and 26% above The Batman. The Ryan Coogler-directed sequel earned an impressive $30.8 million in 43 international markets on Thursday, and combined with domestic previews, the movie sits at a global total of $58.8 million.
The hotly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Black Panther opened in approximately 4,400 theaters across the United States on Friday, and according to various reports, the sequel is projected to earn between $175 million to $200 million at the box office in its debut weekend. Currently, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness holds the record for 2022’s biggest opening weekend with $187 million, followed by Top Gun: Maverick with $126.5 million. Wakanda Forever could very well trump the Doctor Strange sequel’s numbers to take the crown for the year’s biggest opening weekend, but with Avatar: The Way of the Water arriving in theaters next month, it might be a short-lived victory if the James Cameron-helmed sequel performs as well as it’s projected to.
When Black Panther arrived in theaters a few years back, it earned a remarkable $202 million in its debut weekend, making it the eighth-highest opening weekend of all time ahead of 2019’s live-action remake of The Lion King’s $192 million and behind The Avengers’ $207 million. Domestically, the Marvel hit is the sixth high-grossing movie in history with $700 million. Globally, the film earned a whopping $1.4 million at the box office during its theatrical run, making it the 14th high-grossing motion picture of all time.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever undoubtedly has some big shoes to fill given the incredible success of its predecessor, but if its early box office figures are any indication, the sequel looks to be up to the task. Plus, critical reception has been exceptionally positive, with the film holding an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes from 295 reviews. Our very own Michileen Martin had nothing but praise for the sequel in his review of the flick, saying it “is without a doubt the best film Marvel Studios has released this year, and I don’t feel an ounce of caution in calling it the most effecting and introspective MCU film to date.”
Anticipation for the Black Panther sequel was especially high due to several factors including the first film’s massive box office numbers and rave reviews, as well as the unexpected passing of Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the titular character in the first movie. The Academy Award-nominated actor privately battled colon cancer for years before his untimely death. It was recently reported that the star was sent the script for Wakanda Forever two weeks prior to his passing, but according to director Ryan Coogler, Boseman was “too tired to read anything.”
Fortunately, it looks like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever serves as a wonderful tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, and regardless of the film’s box office numbers, we’re glad to see the studio, the cast, and the crew went out of their way to honor such a marvelous talent. Wakanda Forever is currently playing in theaters around the world and stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong`o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett. Ryan Coogler directs the feature from a script he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole.
