Topline
Disney and Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther, earned $84 million on its opening day Friday, making it the 10th highest opening day sales ever, beating Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness—and it’s expected to finish the weekend with nearly $200 million.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actor Lupita Nyong’o, one of the stars of the Marvel sequel.
Key Facts
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s $84 million opening day total includes the $28 million the highly anticipated sequel to director Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-winning Black Panther earned in previews on Thursday.
That beats this year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in opening day earnings ($54.7 million)—that Marvel sequel had the biggest opening weekend of the year ($187 million).
The Black Panther sequel, which opened in 4,396 locations Friday, has big shoes to fill, however, in order to outperform its predecessor in opening weekend earnings (The first Black Panther made $200 million domestically on its opening weekend, and has since grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide).
Wakanda Forever is expected to earn between $185 million and $200 million this weekend, according to Variety, although Deadline puts its weekend earnings slightly lower, at $175 million to $185 million.
So far, it’s received favorable ratings, with critics giving it an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 68% on Metacritic, while audiences have given it a 95%.
Big Number
$716 million. That’s how much Top Gun: Maverick has earned domestically since it opened in May, making it the highest grossing film this year, followed by Doctor Strange ($411 million), Jurassic World: Dominion ($376 million) and The Batman ($369 million), according to Box Office Mojo.
Key Background
The original Black Panther was Marvel’s first movie to be nominated for the Academy Award for best picture. It also won Oscars for best costume design, original score and original song, and was nominated for best picture at the Golden Globes. Two years after its release, however, Chadwick Boseman, who played the lead role T’Challa, died of colon cancer, sending shockwaves through Hollywood—he hadn’t previously made his diagnosis public. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige made the decision not to recast the role, saying, “it just felt like it was much too soon.”
Surprising Fact
The movie’s impressive opening day could also be attributed to Veterans Day falling on a Friday, meaning kids were off from school and many adults were off work.
Tangent
Another big release on Friday was The Fabelmans, director Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film about his own childhood and the movies that inspired him to become a filmmaker. The movie has a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 83% rating on Metacritic.
Further Reading
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Rises To $175M-$185M Opening Weekend – Saturday Box Office (Deadline)
Review: Breathtaking ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Will Top $1 Billion Box Office (Forbes)
Brian Bushard, Forbes Staff
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