Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (2024)

The holiday movie season skipped a week this year, deciding to kick off the second weekend in November in earnest with the first of two guaranteed blockbusters. Whether or not either will approach the $700 million of their predecessors remains a mystery. At least for the one next week. Marvel faced a weighty decision on whether to recast one of the most cherished characters in all of the MCU. How would audiences embrace their decision to let a little reality sink into their fantasy? Looking at its first weekend, the faithful showed it was more than just a curiosity. Now the question is just how long the new Black Panther will flourish.

King of the Crop: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever may not have hit the $200 million that the original film opened to in February 2018, but it does now own the highest November opening of all time (Disney now owns six of the months), surpassing the first Hunger Games sequel and three Twilight sequels with $180 million. Let’s get the rest of the lists out of the way. That is the 8th highest opening in the MCU, just ahead of Captain America: Civil War ($179.1 million) and below this summer’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness ($187.4 million). It had the 13th best Thursday “preview” opening ever with $28 million and the 10th best Friday (combined with Thursday “previews”) ever. It also currently ranks 17th with critics at Rotten Tomatoes among all MCU films with a Certified Fresh 84% on the Tomatometer. Out of the 30 MCU films, 18 have scored 80% or higher and only one (Eternals) has has been designated Rotten.

So where does $180 million get Wakanda Forever? Well, its path to at least $400 million appears very solid. No film that has opened to over $170 million has strayed off that path. It also looks to have a pretty clear path on being the first film to lead the box office for five straight weeks since Tenet. Like the Christopher Nolan film, Wakanda Forever is going to benefit from a depleted marketplace. Unless Disney’s Strange World manages to inspire big attendance over the Thanksgiving holiday, Wakanda Forever should stay No. 1 until James Cameron enters the game on Dec. 16 and will lead for possibly six weeks. Doctor Strange’s Multiverse began with a “B+” Cinemascore and finished with over $411 million. Wakanda Forever has started with an “A” in that poll and will now depend on word-of-mouth to try and push for something closer to $500 million, a task only seven movies this late in the year have ever achieved. Four of them were Star Wars, two were Cameron films, and then there’s last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Frozen II is the all-time November leader with $477 million. Wakanda Forever’s worldwide haul stands at over $330 million, but it will not be seeing a release in China.

The Top 10 and Beyond: Black Adam Settles for Second,Ticket to Paradise Continues to Cruise

Falling back into second place is the superhero who led for the past three weeks, DC’s Black Adam. It fell over 50% to $8.6 million that, with a 24-day total of $151 million, puts it just above where Marvel’s Eternals was last year when it grossed $7.9 million in its fourth frame. That suggests a tally over $165 million, and it may find itself getting past our ceiling projection of $170 million, but not by much. Either way, it is still a far cry from the half-billion it is going to need to break even. Worldwide, its total stands at $336 million.

One of the good stories of autumn is the late-season success of the old school movie star rom-com formula that is Ticket To Paradise. The George Clooney/Julia Roberts film fell just 29% to $6.1 million, bringing its total to over $56 million. That is a better fourth weekend than Law Abiding Citizen had in 2009 when it had run its 24-day total up to just over $60 million. Paradise is trailingCitizens total by about $4 million, but if it can make up a little ground (especially with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up), we can project the film hitting $70 million domestic, a big pushback against the “big screen comedy is dead” crowd. Add in another $92 million overseas and Universal should be seeing this one just get into the black for them.

The even bigger story of autumn has been the success of Paramount’s horror film, Smile, which crossed $100 million just before the weekend and now stands just shy of $103 million with another $2.3 million. That’s on the same weekend that Halloween Ends is no more for the top 10 and Prey For The Devil fell to $2 million for a total of $16.9 million. Last week’s second place finisher, One Piece Film Red, fell way back to seventh with an 84% drop to only $1.45 million for a total of $12.8 million. Sony’s family film, Lyle Lyle Crocodile, remains high on the list at fourth. It may have fallen just 9% this week, but that still only means $3.2 million to get its total over $40 million.

Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans opened in four theaters this weekend before its wider launch for Thanksgiving. It grossed $160,000 for a per-theater average of $40,000. That’s the fifth best of the year, ahead of the launch of Tar but below The Banshees Of Inisherin. Spielberg’s film is a likely Best Picture nominee and will generate further press throughout a marketplace that is not as crowded as usual holiday seasons. Also consider these eventual Best Picture nominees that opened in just four theaters between $100,000-$200,000, and pay attention to their highest theater count:

Beasts of the Southern Wild ($12.7 million / 318 theaters)
Room ($14.6 million / 862)
The Hurt Locker ($17 million / 535)
Nebraska ($17.6 million / 968)
In The Name of the Father ($25 million / 688)
Philomena ($37.7 million / 1225)
The Piano ($40.1 million / 671)
Bugsy ($49.1 million / 1253)
Fences ($57.6 million / 2368)
Gandhi ($52.7 million / 825)
Traffic ($124.1 million / 1755)

Aside from Gandhi, the film that beat out Spielberg’s E.T. that year, other films that were held back from wider release did not find greater financial success. The Fabelmans will be and should not be summarily dismissed for what might be deemed a less than impressive number this weekend. The Banshees Of Inisherin, which added 65 theaters to drive its theater count up to 965, fell 25% to $1.5 million. It has now grossed $5.6 million and is on a path closer to James Gray’s The Lost City of Z, which finished with $8.5 million, less than any of the Best Picture nominees on that list. (Gray’s own Armageddon Time made it into the top 10 this week, but it dropped 56% to $352,000 and has made just $1.5 million.) If Searchlight can keep interest alive and continue to add more theaters, it could maybe get closer to those Room numbers. Tar, meanwhile, fell to only 359 theaters and added $343,000 to bring its total up to $4.5 million.

On the Vine: She Said andThe Menu Offer Counterprogramming to the MCU

Next week Universal opens the journalism drama She Said, about the infamous pattern of criminal behavior by Harvey Weinstein. Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as the reporters who investigated the stories. It boasts an 82% with critics currently. Doing even better at 89% and opening wide is the foodie horror film The Menu with Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy. Can Searchlight bring in the crowds that gave quite the boost to the autumn season?

Full List of Box Office Results: November 11-13, 2022

Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (1) 84% Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

  • $180 million ($180 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (2) 39% Black Adam (2022)
  • $8.6 million ($151 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (3) 56% Ticket to Paradise (2022)
  • $6.1 million ($56.5 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (4) 71% Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022)
  • $3.2 million ($40.8 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (5) 79% Smile (2022)
  • $2.3 million ($102.8 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (6) 17% Prey for the Devil (2022)
  • $2 million ($16.96 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (7) 96% The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
  • $1.7 million ($5.8 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (8) 95% One Piece Film Red (2022)
  • $1.5 million ($12.8 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (9) 96% Till (2022)
  • $618,254 ($8 million total)
Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (10) 76% Armageddon Time (2022)
  • $352,000 ($1.58 million total)

Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box officeonBusiness First AMwith Angela Miles and hisMovie Madness Podcast.

[box office figures viaBox Office Mojo]

Thumbnail image by ©Marvel Studios

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Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever (2024)

FAQs

Weekend Box Office Results: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Scores Biggest November Opening Ever? ›

'Black Panther

Black Panther
Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Black_Panther_(film)
: Wakanda Forever' scores $180 million opening weekend, highest November debut ever. Disney and Marvel Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" snared an estimated $180 million during its domestic debut.

How much money did Wakanda Forever make opening weekend? ›

THE BOTTOM LINE. 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.

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 2 do well at the box office? ›

Black Panther 2 Profits Revealed

A new report from Deadline revealed just how much Black Panther: Wakanda Forever took home after all expenses were accounted for. The Wakandan epic did good numbers at the box office, earning $454 million domestically and $389 million internationally.

Did Black Panther 2 break any records? ›

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has set a new 2022 box office record after its record breaking opening weekend. Per Variety, Wakanda Forever has become the first movie of 2022 to remain number one at the domestic box office for four consecutive weekends.

How much did the actors get paid for Wakanda forever? ›

The next star is Letitia Wright, who is said to be taking home $700,000 for her role as Shuri. Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams or Ironheart is making $200,000, and Angela Bassett's role as Ramonda is churning her a paycheck of $350,000. Last but not least is Winston Duke, who is making $500,000.

How many Oscars did Black Panther win? ›

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

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.

Did Wakanda Forever lose money? ›

The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $859.2 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2022.

Was Wakanda Forever disappointing? ›

Overly long and drowning in far too much slow and somber exposition. This movie was over-rated by critics because of what was happening in real life. Music and costume design were excellent but wasted on something that is truly boring at its core.

What is the highest grossing superhero movie of all time? ›

Highest-grossing superhero films
RankFilmWorldwide gross
1Avengers: Endgame$2,797,800,564
2Avengers: Infinity War$2,048,359,754
3Spider-Man: No Way Home$1,921,847,111
4The Avengers$1,518,812,988
46 more rows

How much money did Chadwick Boseman make for Black Panther? ›

What was Chadwick Boseman's salary in 'Black Panther'? During his cameo in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick reportedly earned $700,000. However, when he starred in his own MCU film as the titular character, he was reportedly given $500,000, plus a percentage of the film's profits (via Go Social).

Was Black Panther 2 well received? ›

Black Panther 2 had very positive reception and reviews, over a whole month to itself, and was a sequel to a film that grossed 1.256 billion dollars (without China, Russia, and the Ukraine).

How much did Black Panther make opening weekend? ›

To put that in perspective, Black Panther's three-day, $192 million opening is the fifth largest in history behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Jurassic World, and Marvel's first superhero team-up movie, The Avengers, according to Box Office Mojo.

How much does Black Panther need to break even? ›

From a financial standpoint, with a reported $250 million budget, factoring in theatrical and marketing expenses, the film needs to gross around $888 million worldwide to breakeven.

How much did it cost to produce Wakanda Forever? ›

How much is Wakanda forever worth? ›

Contributor. I write about films, especially superhero films, and Hollywood.

How much did Black Panther 1 and 2 make? ›

Box Office History for Black Panther Movies
Release DateTitleWorldwide Box Office
Nov 11, 2022Black Panther: Wakanda Forever$853,985,546
Feb 16, 2018Black Panther$1,336,494,320
Averages$1,095,239,933
Totals2$2,190,479,866
1 more row

How many people watched Black Panther 2? ›

Synopsis. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was viewed by 2.1 million households in the US, according to Samba TV, who monitored the viewership through its panel of 3 million smart TVs.

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