Box Office: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Rules With $330 Million Global Launch, $180 Million Domestic Debut (2024)

Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” dominated the domestic box office in its debut, earning $180 million over the weekend and providing a much-needed lift to beleaguered cinemas. The sequel demolished the record for a November opening in North America, soaring past the previous high-water mark of $158 million set by 2013’s“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Globally, the superhero adventure netted a spectacular $330 million with $150 million of that figure coming from 55 overseas markets.

Its success has a bittersweet undercurrent, however. That’s because the filmmakers behind the sequel faced a shocking off-screen tragedy before production even commenced when Chadwick Boseman, the actor who had given 2018’s “Black Panther” so much of its soul, died in 2020 of cancer. He was only 43 years old. In response, Ryan Coogler, the film’s director and co-writer, re-fashioned “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” into a tribute for the late actor. In the movie, the kingdom of Wakanda is grappling with the death of KingT’Challa — an art imitates life situation that gave the film greater emotional resonance.

Critics praised Coogler’s deft handling of the difficult material, with Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman writing, “‘Wakanda Forever’ has a slow-burn emotional suspense. Once the film starts to gather steam, it doesn’t let up.”

There were other hurdles facing “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” The $250 million production was shot in the midst of COVID and also had to contend with an injury to one of its stars, Letitia Wright, that required filming to be suspended. That’s to say nothing of the dramatically altered theatrical landscape that it now must navigate. When “Black Panther” hit screens four years ago, China and Russia were still major film markets. But China has become more inaccessible to Hollywood fare and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means that studio films no longer screen in the country. So, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be a global powerhouse, but it probably won’t hit the $1.4 billion mark that its predecessor achieved (few films can these days).

As it stands, “Wakanda Forever” has the second biggest domestic debut of the year, behind the $187.4 million launch of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” It also commands the third best pandemic era bow, behind the aforementioned Doctor Strange adventure and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which got started with $260 million.

Tony Chambers, EVP and head of theatrical distribution at Disney, Marvel’s parent company, ascribed the film’s success to “the Marvel track record,” as well as “the quality of the filmmaking.”

Most films steered clear of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” However, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” opened in limited release. Premiering in four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, the film earned a solid $160,000 for an average of $40,000 per-screen. It faces its real test when it goes wide on Nov. 23.

The movie, a portrait of the boy who grew up to give us “Jaws” as a young man, has been generating awards heat, but it faces commercial headwinds. Movies like “Tár,” “Till,” “Armageddon Time” and “Triangle of Sadness” are beloved by critics, but have struggled at the box office. Adult audiences, it seems, have yet to come back to cinemas in force after the pandemic. In fact, Spielberg’s most recent effort, 2021’s “West Side Story,” bombed despite its glowing reviews. Will “The Fabelmans,” a tender-hearted family saga, be the thing that gets older crowds back into multiplexes? The $40 million drama does seem to be connecting with those who see it. It earned an A CinemaScore rating, which bodes well for word-of-mouth.

“Black Adam,” a comic book adventure from Warner Bros. and DC, nabbed second place at the domestic box office, grossing $8.6 million to push its domestic haul to $151.1 million. Universal’s “Ticket to Paradise,” a rom-com with Julia Roberts and George Clooney, netted $6.1 million for a third place finish. That brings its stateside total to $56.5 million. Sony’s “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile” came in fourth with $3.2 million. It has grossed $40.8 million since opening last month.

Paramount’s low-budget horror hit, “Smile,” rounded out the top five with $2.3 million. The film, which cost a modest $17 million to make (or half-a-“Fabelmans”), has earned an impressive $102.8 million domestically. That kind of result should leave the studio flashing its pearly whites.

Theater owners have been desperate for some good news. Ticket sales have been anemic since the summer, depressing an industry that was hit hard by COVID — Cineworld, the second largest exhibitor, filed for bankruptcy, and other theaters have been staring at possible insolvency. In this bleak atmosphere, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” could not come soon enough.

“Disney saves the box office,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “What else is new? This is exactly what they were doing before the pandemic, during the pandemic and after the pandemic.”

Box Office: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Rules With $330 Million Global Launch, $180 Million Domestic Debut (2024)

FAQs

Box Office: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Rules With $330 Million Global Launch, $180 Million Domestic Debut? ›

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Box Office Records, Highlights and Takeaways. The Marvel Studios secured a record November opening at the domestic box office with $180 million, while launching to $330 million globally.

Is Wakanda forever a box office flop? ›

Wakanda Forever charted 2022's second-best opening at the domestic box office at $181.3M, following Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' $187.4M. Worldwide, Wakanda Forever had the fourth-best debut for an MPA title, grossing $331.6M. At the end of the day it finaled at $454M domestic, $859M global.

How much did Black Panther: Wakanda Forever make domestically? ›

$453,829,060

How did Black Panther forever do at the box office? ›

Its worldwide opening weekend earned $331.6 million, marking the third-largest opening of the pandemic era, behind Spider-Man: No Way Home ($601 million) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($452 million).

Was Black Panther 2 a box office hit? ›

Black Panther 2 Profits Revealed

Those totals put the film at a final worldwide gross of $859 million USD with Disney taking home just over half that at $450 million.

Why did Wakanda Forever fail? ›

The plot falls short, the acting is not up to par with the film's budget and it follows the current Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) standard of poor computer-generated imagery (CGI). For a film that declares itself a dedication to Boseman, it is better left forgotten than attributed to him.

Was Black Panther 2 bad? ›

It was nowhere near as good as the first Black Panther movie. I appreciate that they were trying to be respectful toward Chadwick Boseman, but I think they overdid it. Also, Martin Freeman's role in this movie was... odd. It felt shoehorned in as a touchstone to the previous Black Panther movie.

Is vibranium real? ›

Vibranium is Not Real

Vibranium was created by Marvel comics in 1966, first appearing in Daredevil #13. Originally shrouded in mystery, the fictional metal was fleshed out across various comic lines over the next few years. Vibranium is actually an alien metal that crashed to earth, hence its fantastical properties.

How much did Shuri get paid for Wakanda Forever? ›

It has been reported that Letitia Wright is being paid $700,000 to reprise her role as Shuri in the Black Panther sequel, 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This may be in addition to bonuses or a percentage of the film's profits. However, Wright may not have that negotiating power just yet in her career.

Where is Wakanda in real life? ›

Director Ryan Coogler stated that his depiction of Wakanda in the 2018 film Black Panther was inspired by the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho. In recent stories by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, Wakanda is located on Lake Victoria, near fellow fictional nations Mohannda, Canaan, Azania, and Niganda.

Will there be a Black Panther 3? ›

With Black Panther 3 yet to be officially announced, Wright's comment sparked excitement and speculation about her future in the MCU. In 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shuri took on the mantle of Black Panther following T'Challa's death, leading Wakanda in a battle against Namor and his underwater kingdom.

How much did Thor 4 make? ›

The film grossed $760.9 million worldwide, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2022, as well as the second highest-grossing film in the Thor franchise.

Is Wakanda Forever hit or flop? ›

The result is a box office outcome that's still more than enough to qualify as a blockbuster and making it the sixth-highest grossing movie of 2022, but unfortunately comes in below expectations and now seems unlikely to reach the $1 billion mark.

How many Oscars did Black Panther win? ›

'Black Panther' Won Three Oscars—and Made History | WIRED.

How much money did Wakanda Forever lose? ›

“Wakanda Forever,” which opened to $181 million and has generated $288 million in North America and $546.3 million globally to date. The film's 63% drop was steeper than expected.

Was Wakanda Forever well received? ›

The film had equal or better reception than Guardians 3 critically, an A cinemascore from audiences, 2.5x legs despite a near three hour runtime + mournful tone, 13th biggest opening weekend ever, got Oscar noms and totaled 850m+ worldwide against the 250m budget. By all accounts, the public embraced the project.

Did Black Panther lose money? ›

It grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide and broke numerous box office records, becoming the highest-grossing film directed by a Black filmmaker, the ninth-highest-grossing film at the time of its release, the third-highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada, and the second-highest-grossing film of 2018.

Did Wakanda Forever win? ›

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, one British Academy Film Award, six Critics' Choice Movie Awards (winning two), two Golden Globe Awards (winning one), and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

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