Black Panther: Wakanda Forever breaks $546m over the weekend
The Black Panther sequel is living up to the original at the box office (so far)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is finally in theaters (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets) - and according to early box office receipts, it's a massive success.
As of Sunday November 21, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has earned $546 million - with 52.7% of that coming from North America (that's about $288m if you don't want to do the math).
While revenue doesn't equate to quality, it does give us a sense of how much we as the general public are interested in the film. That being said, let's dive into some numbers.
The competition for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opened in theaters three weeks after DC Studios' Black Adam, but even with that three-week headstart the Marvel sequel has surpassed the DC/Rock tag-team - $546m to $366m.
Looking at the calendar ahead, it's a relatively light 2023 holiday season as far as movies goes - opening the door to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being able to last in theaters longer than would be expected in a crowded summer schedule, so long as ticket sales hold.
Did Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have the biggest opening weekend of 2022?
That is a no.
Prior to its theatrical release, the consensus of industry experts was that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would rake in at least $175m in its opening weekend domestically, with some saying it could go as high as $200m. It ended up landing at $180m, above some estimates but short of the record - $187m domestic, earned by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness back in May.
Comparing the box office of of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to the original
Black Panther reportedly made $1.347 billion in its 2018 theatrical release (and 2020 re-release) - with roughly 52% of that coming from North America. The original film's Thursday preview receipts totaled $25.5m, going towards a domestic opening weekend of $242.1m.
Comparing second weekend stats between the two, Wakanda FOrever is roughly 2% ahead of the original - that's despite it being 27 minutes longer, which adds up to decrease the number of times it can play in a given theater in any given day.
How much did Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cost?
According to Variety, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had a production budget of roughly $250 million dollars - and that's not including what's going into marketing.
Given theaters roughly take about 50% of the ticket sales, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned back its budget in just two weeks in theaters.
What's next for the Black Panther franchise?
In what was either nice timing or some pre-planned marketing for this film, reports hit the trades just before the opening weekend that Marvel is already working on multiple Disney+ spin-offs from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. That would include the recently-wrapped Ironheart series for Disney+, the teased Wakandan Disney+ show rumored to center on Okoye, as well as additional Disney+ show(s) about new Wakandan characters.
As for a third Black Panther film? Director/co-writer Ryan Coogler says that he doesn't know what he's directing next, while Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says he wants more - but is hoping that Coogler is the one to do it, if possible.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in theaters now. Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets.
This is the last major superhero film of 2022, but there's a lot more coming in 2023 and beyond. Check out our comprehensive guide to upcoming superhero movies (and their release dates).