Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Just Set A New Box Office Record For November
Not only has the Marvel Cinematic Universe's 30th motion picture acquired considerable critical acclaim (via Rotten Tomatoes), but in a similar fashion to its predecessor, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has broken box office records right out of the gate.
The "Black Panther" sequel has accomplished many things since it was released in theaters on November 11, 2022. The motion picture paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away in 2020, and respectfully dealt with the death of his iconic MCU character T'Challa. The well-crafted Marvel movie also saw the return of many fan favorites from the original, including Winston Duke as M'Baku, Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, and Letitia Wright as Shuri. It also succeeded in finally bringing Namor (Tenoch Huerta) into the fold, who is one of the oldest characters in the history of Marvel comics, and brilliantly helped set up the "Ironheart" series starring Dominique Thorne coming to Disney+.
There is no denying that director Ryan Coogler and everyone else involved with this sequel had a massive amount of pressure on them going into this, not only to outdo an Academy Award-winning box office powerhouse (via Box Office Mojo) but also to do so without its main star. Not only that, the movie had to prevail when even big-budget popcorn flicks are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic numbers. With the odds heavily stacked against all the talented individuals involved, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has successfully overcome all obstacles for a sizeable payday at the opening weekend domestic box office.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had one of the biggest opening weekends of the year
According to Deadline, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" opened to an outstanding $180 million domestic debut dethroning the former nine-year November domestic opening weekend record-holder "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" in the process. The "Black Panther" sequel also holds the domestic November opening record for IMAX, taking in $14.2 million on 405 of the format's epic screens to add to the stellar haul. In addition, the outlet reports the film has earned $330 million worldwide and believes there is a chance the Marvel feature could hold the top spot until another Disney title releases on December 16, 2022, the arguably even more highly-anticipated sequel, "Avatar: The Way of the Water."
The next-level box office achievement is really just the tip of the iceberg regarding what the motion picture could accomplish. While those numbers are excellent, unlike other MCU titles that do well at the box office, it's worth noting that there is a serious amount of awards buzz surrounding "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Indiewire has described the film as a "major Oscar contender" that could outdo its Oscar-winning predecessor, and many fans have already made their voices heard in favor of Angela Bassett getting a gold statue for her exemplary efforts in the "Black Panther" follow-up.
Many people would believe the success of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" would guarantee another sequel, but the franchise's future is still unknown. Variety has reported that Marvel head honcho Kevin Fiege has had conversations with Coogler about a potential third "Black Panther" film, but when the director was asked, Coogler said, "I can tell you definitively I have no idea what I'm doing next."