Photo credit: Marvel/Walt Disney Studios/Everett
Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” just reaffirmed that Black excellence is indeed at an all-time high.
The superhero film soared at the box office with a $201.7 million opening weekend (Friday-Sunday), and secured the second-largest Marvel Cinematic Universe opening and the fifth-largest opening weekend of all time. Meaning, “Black Panther” outperformed the debut weekend of almost all Marvel’s superhero movies.
To top it off, the final numbers for the full opening weekend haven’t even rolled in yet, as numbers from the 4-day President’s weekend have yet to be accounted for. As of Sunday, estimates show that the film will score a $235 million domestic opening. Gl
Photo credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios
As reported by Variety: “That number means that ‘Black Panther’… has doubled its original tracking in less than a month. The film, which carries an estimated $200 million production cost, had been tracking to bring in between an impressive $100 and $120 million when first estimates emerged on Jan. 25. Since then, ‘Black Panther’ has become a must-see movie for many moviegoers, underlined when Thursday previews brought in $25.2 million, the largest Thursday night preview gross for a February opener and the second-largest preview gross for a Marvel film.”
Photo credit: Matt Kennedy/Marvel Studios 2018
It also now holds the record for biggest February opening ever and the largest opening for an African American director (kudos to the brilliant Ryan Coogler). Before Coogler and “Black Panther,” F. Gary Gray and “The Fate of the Furious,” held the title.
“The concept of an African story, with actors of African descent at the forefront, combined with the scale of modern franchise filmmaking, is something that hasn’t really been seen before,” Coogler told The Hollywood Reporter. “You feel like you’re getting the opportunity of seeing something fresh, being a part of something new, which I think all audiences want to experience regardless of whether they are of African descent or not.”
Sending a huge congratulations and “Wakanda Forever” salute to the entire cast and crew for their historic opening weekend!