The highly anticipated Disney and Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had a major premiere this weekend, grossing an estimated $180 million in North American theaters, industry watch Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
That domestic opening — the 13th-highest ever according to BoxOfficePro.com — came as the film grossed an impressive $330 million worldwide, a big boost for Hollywood after a lackluster October.
“This is a sensational opening,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Reviews and audience ratings are excellent – Wakanda should dominate cinema visits… well into December.”
The film pays a heartfelt tribute to the star of the original Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, who died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. King T’Challa.
Letitia Wright as T’Challa’s sister Shuri and Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda fight to follow in the king’s footsteps. Other leading roles are played by Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Winston Duke.
The original Black Panther, the first major black superhero film, became a cultural phenomenon with a starting price of $202 million and an Oscar nomination for best picture.
Far, far behind in second place this weekend was Warner Bros.’ “Black Adam” costs $8.6 million – not even a twentieth of the “Wakanda” total. Dwayne Johnson’s vehicle, a 2019 spin-off of Shazam!, has now grossed $141.1 million domestically.
Universal’s rom-com Ticket to Paradise, endorsed by megastars Julia Roberts and George Clooney, managed to buck the superhero trend, grossing $6.1 million in its fourth week.
Sony’s live-action/computer-animated musical comedy Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, a family-friendly film, took fourth place with $3.2 million.
And Paramount’s horror film “Smile” continued to attract viewers into its seventh week, taking fifth place. With estimated sales of $2.3 million for the Friday-Sunday period, domestic sales rose to $102 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
“Prey to the Devil” ($2.0 million)
“The Banshees of Inisherin” ($1.7 million)
One Piece Film: Red ($1.4 million)
Armageddon Time ($352,000)
