Sequel achieves $180 million opening – The Hollywood Reporter

Ryan Coogler‘s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever He is on the prowl.

The superhero sequel opened with a whopping $180 million domestically office box To look for the biggest November opening ever and the second biggest in 2022 so far behind his colleague Marvel Studios‘ picture Doctor Strange in a multiverse of madness ($187.4 million). And she easily snatched the weekend crown from the DC superhero photo black AdamNow into the fourth weekend.

Overseas Marvel and Disney tentpole debuted to $150 million for a global debut of $330 million (equivalent to DC’s value) black Adam obtained in the first three weeks).

While Wakanda forever It didn’t match Coogler’s $202 million first domestically Black Panther In 2018, it’s still doing massive business and is ranked number 13 on the all-time domestic launch list (versions from a Disney account to all but one of them), according to Comscore. The sequel’s arrival on the marque couldn’t be more welcome after a hard fall for theater owners.

As the weekend approaches, Wakanda forever He was tracking debuts in the $175 million range.

black panther 2Played in 4,396 theaters domestically and grossed $84 million on Friday alone, it’s one of the biggest opening days of all time and nearly all with the Marvel Studios title. Avengers: Age of Ultron Number 9 on the list, not adjusted for inflation. Friday distances It included $28 million On Thursday evening previews (Friday was Veterans Day).

Coogler’s film earned a CinemaScore of audiences and strong output on PostTrak. (One difference: the first Black Panther He received an A+). It was shown to an ethnically diverse audience, led by black moviegoers (34 percent), according to PostTrak. It also played a more equal gender role than most superhero films, with females making up 45 percent of the audience.

in 2018, Black Panther It was the first Hollywood studio with a predominantly black cast and turned cultural phenomenon on its way to earning more than $1.34 billion at the worldwide box office.

The sequel bore tragedy when Chadwick Boseman, who played the titular role of T’Challa/Black Panther in the 2018 film, died of colon cancer in August 2020. Wakanda foreverThe cast includes Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia WrightWinston Duke, Danny Gurira, Florence Kasumba and Martin Freeman, as well as Marvel newcomer Tenoc Huerta as Namor and Dominic Thorne as hero Riri Williams.

“It’s a great result. The first film was such a cultural milestone that it was difficult to follow his performance even under normal circumstances,” says Shawn Robbins, box office analyst. “This performance of a sequel nearly five years later speaks to the fans’ trust in Ryan Coogler, Marvel, and the entire creative team to continue the story in a respectful way following the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman. It’s a chance for everyone to say goodbye to him together as the franchise moves forward with his legacy at its core.”

Among the superhero movies released in the era of the pandemic, Sony and Marvel Spider-Man: There is no room for home It opened to $260.1 million in December 2021. Doctor Strange in a multiverse of madness It followed in May with $187.4 million, while Thor: Love and Thunder Recorded $144.2 million in July. In March 2022, DC and Warner Bros. Batman It flew to $134 million upon launch. Recently, DC’s black Adamstarring Dwayne Johnson in his first live-action superhero role, opened to $67 million domestically.

Another high-profile opening this weekend is Steven SpielbergA semi-autobiographical tale and an Oscar contender fablemanswhich is released slow on the platform, just like a niche movie, in order to build word of mouth.

Universal and Amblin Entertainment, which opened in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, earned a solid site average of $40,000, one of the best films of the year. Everything everywhere at once And the Inisherin from Inisherin. fablemans It has a CinemaScore and boasts 95 percent of critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

More is coming.

November 12, 10:30 a.m. Updated with revised international numbers.