“Black Panther” earns $401 million at box office in North America

• The film grossed $2.8 million from 3,725 showings on Friday.
• Over the weekend, this figure is expected to rise to around $11 million.
• It brings the film’s domestic total to $401 million.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘, directed by Ryan Coogler has elevated Chadwick Boseman’s legacy to new heights, with yet another box office smash.

The film premiered in November and was immediately praised for proudly highlighting strong Black women while interweaving a story that honoured late actor Boseman and his titular hero while clearly passing the torch onto new panther Shuri (Letitia Wright).

According to sources, despite a slow start to the domestic weekend box office, current ticket sales forecast a total take of $38.5 million from Friday to Sunday.

A significant portion of these are due to the Marvel epic, which grossed $2.8 million from 3,725 showings on Friday. Over the course of the weekend, this figure is expected to rise to around $11 million.

It brings the film’s domestic total to $401 million, comfortably surpassing Chris Hemsworth’s Thor: Love and Thunder, which earned $343 million.

However, it still has a ways to go if it wants to surpass Benedict Cumberbatch’s magical Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $411 million domestic total.

Despite bearing the weight of Boseman’s original success, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has thrived over the last month, proving that it is successful in honouring Boseman while also maintaining an authentic progression for Wakanda.

This clearly resonated with audiences around the world, as the film surpassed $733 million at the prestigious global box office last week, despite only being in theatres for less than a month.

Despite its obvious success, the film lags far behind its 2018 predecessor, which reached new heights at the global box office, grossing a staggering $1.3 billion.

This is not entirely surprising given that Black Panther debuted to worldwide acclaim as the first mainstream superhero film to centre on a Black hero.

The venture shook up the superhero film space and Hollywood alike, serving as a fresh reminder that films can impact people’s lives far beyond the silver screen.

Other films premiering this weekend include Sam Mendes’ drama Empire of Light, which is set in 1980s England and stars Oscar winner Olivia Coleman.

Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama The Whale is also hitting theatres.

This week’s Friday box office is likely to be the quietest in a long time, with James Cameron’s Avatar sequel Avatar: The Way of Water preparing to blow its competitors out of the water after a 13-year gap between the films.

Back in 2009, the special effects extravaganza made history with its groundbreaking animation and breathtaking visuals, raising the stakes for the sequel.

Below is a trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is still playing in theatres. Avatar: The Way of Water will be released in theatres on December 16.

Watch the trailer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever below:

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