‘Black Panther’ crosses US$1 bln mark at the global box office
BLACK Panther can’t stop, won’t stop making money at the box office. Ryan Coogler’s take on the beloved Marvel character grossed US$1.08 billion at the global box office in just four weeks, according to estimates published Sunday by Box Office Mojo. It is Disney’s 16th movie to make US$1 billion or more, Deadline reported. Four other Marvel Cinematic Universe releases have hit that mark: The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man 3 and Captain America: Civil War. But no other Marvel movie has sat atop the box office for four weeks in a row since premiering, according to Box Office Mojo. Domestically, Black Panther has grossed US$562 million, making it the No. 7 movie of all time in North America when not adjusted for inflation and surpassing The Dark Knight to become the second-highestgrossing superhero movie in the United States. While the Wakandan warrior king dominated in the United States, many were eager to see how the movie would fare in some of the biggest global markets. Well, Black Panther sat atop of the box office in China and grossed an estimated US$22.7 million during its Friday premiere. By Sunday, it had grossed an estimated US$66.5 million. And, in the process, Black Panther bucked any old industry notion that films starring black people are inherent commercial risks in the Asian nation. Coogler posted a statement after his movie’s massive weekend debut, writing last month that “never in a million years did we imagine that you all would come out this strong.”
He added: “It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film.”
Here are some other feats accomplished by Black Panther:
- The biggest February release to date, even after adjusting for inflation.
- The second-highest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe movie at the domestic box office. (Marvel’s The Avengers occupies the top spot, with US$623 million).
- Tied with Jurassic World as the second-fastest movie to reach US$400 million at the domestic box office. Both movies hit that mark in 10 days. Only Star Wars: The Force Awakens did that faster (in eight days).
- Made US$108 million during its second weekend at the domestic box office, placing it just behind the 2015 Star Wars instalment as having the best sophomore weekend ever.
- The highest-grossing movie with a black director, according to Fandango, even after adjusting for inflation.
- Has a 97 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score, the highest of any comic-book superhero movie.
- According to Fandango, joins The Avengers as the only comicbook superhero movies with a perfect rating on CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers on opening night.