WhileBlack Pantherwas finally dethroned from the top spot at the box office this weekend byPacific Rim 2, it hasn’t stopped the Marvel movie from becoming the highest grossing superhero movie in North Americanbox officehistory. By the end of the weekendBlack Pantherwill have surpassed the firstAvengersmovie and even Lucasfilm’sThe Last Jedi, becoming the 5th highest grossing movie of all time domestically. Nobody predicted that Ryan Coogler’s first gig with Marvel Studios was going to be the record breaking monster that it has become.
Black Pantherhas earned $618,644,236 thus far while theAvengersearned $623,357,910 during its initial theatrical run. Additionally,The Last Jedidid $619,896,809, which means thatBlack Pantherhas now already passed theStar Warsmovie with its sights set on theAvengers, which it will easily take down by Sunday. The Marvel movie was able to pull off 5 straight weeks at the number one spot, a feat that hadn’t happened since the 2009 release of James Cameron’sAvatar.
Early projections forBlack Panther’s box office premiere had the movie at a solid $120 million, but the movie came out and destroyed those predictions by earning over $200 million, shocking the industry. Even with the moviebreaking pre-sale records(which have now just been beaten byInfinity War), nobody sawBlack Panthermaking so much money in such a short amount of time. However, the moviebecame a cultural phenomenon, gaining an audience that traditionally wouldn’t go see a superhero movie in the theaters. The movie started a new movement and a social touchstone that continues to earn at the box office, causing Disney to compete with itself.
It was obvious from the first weekend that Marvel was going to make Black Panther 2. The discussions began while the movie was still in production when everybody involved discovered how electric it was on set. Ryan Coogler has not officially signed on to direct, but one can imagine that those talks, and negotiations have already started. Much like Patty Jenkins withWonder Woman, Coogler had only signed on to do one movie, which means he stands to make a lot of money when it comes time to make Black Panther 2.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has expressed his desire to bring back Ryan Coogler, so it’s only a matter of time before an agreement is met. Making a sequel toBlack Panther, which has now become one of the biggest movies in box office history will not be an easy feat, to say the least. There’s a lot to live up after the smash success. Now, we’ll have to see how the upcomingInfinity Wardoes at the box office when it’s released next month. For now,Black Pantheris the king of the box office and the highest grossing superhero movie in North American history. you may check out the numbers over atBox Office Mojo.
