Update: The sequel to Marvel’s Black Panther crosses the opening weekend finish line at $181.3M in domestic box office.
The Ryan Coogler directed film made 45.3% of its grosses internationally at $150.3M, creating a total worldwide cume of $331.7M. Opening Friday, Nov. 11, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever surpassed estimates, nabbing $84.3M while showing in 4,396 theaters across the nation. Saturday saw a drop of 33.4%, doing $56.1M, followed by $40.9M on Sunday.
The film earned the rank of having the top opening weekend in the month of November. It also ranked in the top 5 films with top opening weekends in the holiday season, landing in the No. 4 spot behind Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi at No. 3, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens at No. 2, and Spider-Man: No Way Home at No. 1.
Previously: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever unsurprisingly did an impressive opening. The sequel’s Thursday night previews contributed $28M to opening day box office, with Friday totaling an estimated $80M. The Marvel pic is forecasted to make between $170M and $180M over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The first installment of Black Panther was released on Feb. 16, 2018, earning a Thursday night preview of $25M. That film staked an overall $700.4M domestic box office and $681.8M international box office, for a worldwide performance of $1.4B.
Back to the sequel, audiences love the film, graciously giving Black Panther: Wakanda Forever a rating of 95% on RT. Why such a high rating? Most reviews commented on the well-executed tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman, along with satisfaction with its action sequences, story line, and ode to people of color.
Critics gave the film a much lower rating at 84%, pinpointing issues with underdeveloped plots that slowly maneuvers — at a runtime pace of two hours and 41 minutes. One thing that both audiences and critics agree on is that the sequel is a great addition to Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is directed by Ryan Coogler, who wrote the screenplay alongside Joe Robert Cole. The story follows the aftermath of King T’Challa’s death as the kingdom of Wakanda braces for the infiltration of other nations. The dynamic cast includes Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, and Michaela Coel.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in theaters now.
