Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, from Disney and Marvel Studios, dominated the domestic box office, earning $180 million in its debut over the weekend.
The Black Panther franchise faced a major challenge when its leading actor Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 due to cancer. In light of this tragedy, Director Ryan Coogler reformed the film into a tribute to the late actor and earned critics’ praise for handling such difficult material.
A chief analyst from Boxoffice.com commented, “Wakanda Forever is living up to expectations as not just an important tentpole blockbuster for Disney and movie theaters, but also a memorial to Chadwick Boseman that fans are sharing and experiencing together.”
“Positive reception should help propel this film in the weeks ahead as fans embrace the heartfelt continuation of the Black Panther story and the MCU moves forward into its next phase,” the analyst added.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Competitors and Industry Effects
Reports estimate that Wakanda Forever pulled about 12.7 million moviegoers over the weekend. These numbers are only second to the 13.7 million patrons that the movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness pulled on its opening weekend in May.
With Multiverse of Madness holding the number one spot with a record of $187 million earnings on its debut, Wakanda Forever with $180 million now holds the second spot and may yet surpass the Multiverse of Madness’ record
Accordingly, Wakanda Forever also tops Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which only earned $158 million for its debut in 2013, dethroning the film from being the highest November opening earner of all time.
The film also notched 84% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and was given an “A” from the audiences on CinemaScore.
Wakanda Forever came at the perfect time, as the industry needed a blockbuster to break away from a lull.
An analyst noted, “After weeks of a post-summer slowdown, Wakanda Forever delivered a strong reminder of the power of an epic Marvel movie to deliver blockbuster-style revenue to movie theaters.”
Meanwhile, Disney sank 13% on Wednesday following its report of a $1.4 billion loss for the last quarter.
Although Wakanda Forever is unlikely to affect Disney’s stocks, the strong result from the box office performance should bolster Disney’s momentum for theaters, especially with the upcoming potential blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water.
