Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the highly anticipated film from Disney and Marvel, had a big premiere this weekend with an appreciated collection of $180 million at the North American box officereported the specialized industry monitor Exhibitor Relations on Sunday.
The local release, the 13th highest-grossing of all time according to BoxOfficePro.com, came after the film topped an impressive 330 million worldwide, a huge boost for Hollywood after a lackluster October.
“This is a sensational premiere” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Reviews and viewership are excellent. Wakanda should dominate theaters through December.”
The film pays a heartfelt tribute to the star the original “Black Panther”, Chadwick Bosemanwho died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 43, with several flashback appearances as Wakanda battles an underwater kingdom following the death of Boseman’s character King T’Challa.
Letitia Wright as Shuri, T’Challa’s sister; and Angela Basset as Queen Ramonda fight to fill the void left by the King. It also stars Lupuita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Winston Duke in the cast.
The original Black Panther, the first major film about a black superhero, became a cultural phenomenon upon its release Grossed $202 million and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Much further away was second place at the box office this weekend “Black Adam” by Warner Bros.., with $8.6 million. The film, starring Dwayne Johnson, sequel to “Shazam!” of 2019 raises $41.1 million in North America.
Universal’s romantic comedy, A Passage to Paradise, starring megastars Julia Roberts and George Clooney, took third place at the box office in its fourth week in cinemas with $6.1 million.
“Lilo, my friend the crocodile”an animated musical comedy for the whole family, came in at #4 with $3.2 million.
One place further down was Paramount’s horror film “Smile”, which is also drawing audiences to the cinemas in its seventh week. With an estimated grossing of $2.3 million between Friday and Sunday, it takes its home collection to $102 million.
The global celebration is now the #1 film in the world.
Experience Black Panther from Marvel Studios: #WakandaForever are now playing in theaters. Get tickets now: https://t.co/ACmjU47GTU pic.twitter.com/cZBYAG5hQ3
– Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (@theblackpanther) November 13, 2022
The top 10 completed:
“The Devil’s Light” ($2 million)
“The Ghosts of the Island” ($1.7 million)
One Piece Film: Red ($1.4 million)
“Till: The Crime That Changed Everything” ($618,000)
Armageddon Time ($352,000)