Marvel’s Black Panther is poised to have one of the biggest second weekends of all-time, with projections indicating it’ll make over $100 million at the box office this weekend. Director Ryan Coogler’s latest has become a bona fide cultural phenomenon that surpassed even the rosiest expectations. Thanks to enthusiastic word-of-mouth from reviews and social media, Black Panther shattered records in its opening frame, pulling in a whopping $242 million during the 4-day Presidents Day weekend. It seems every day it’s reaching a new milestone, and it won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
One of the many reasons why Black Panther got off to this hot a start out of the gate was lack of competition. The month of January was very slow at the multiplex, as holiday holdovers like Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle put the finishing touches on their runs. Marvel essentially had the marketplace to themselves, capitalizing on the hunger for a quality tentpole film. These circumstances are unlikely to change in Black Panther’s second weekend, meaning it will have very strong legs.
Per Box Office Pro, estimates for this weekend suggest Black Panther will earn $100.7 million. Should that pan out, it would be just the fourth film in history to earn at least that month in a second weekend. Previously, Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($149.2 million), Jurassic World ($106.5 million), and The Avengers ($103 million) joined this rather exclusive club. Since Panther has been topping every projection so far, there’s a high chance it at the very least beats Avengers’ second weekend mark and maybe ties Jurassic World.
Making a $100+ million second weekend for Black Panther more likely is the fact there are no legitimate challengers for its box office crown. This week sees two new wide releases - Game Night and Annihilation - and neither is expected to break the bank. In the case of the former, projections have the comedy pegged for about $16 million during its first three days, while Alex Garland’s sci-fi drama should gross $10 million for the weekend. Despite positive reviews for both, the weekend’s fresh crop enter theaters with limited fan fare, especially as they open in the shadow of Black Panther. In fact, Annihilation is expected to finish in fourth behind Peter Rabbit, Game Night, and Panther.
If these estimates pan out, Black Panther will be up to $353.5 million domestically by the end of the weekend. It is already close to passing $500 million globally, meaning it’s well on its way to $1 billion worldwide. At this point, it’s a foregone conclusion it’ll end its run as one of the MCU’s biggest offerings, soaring past the $400 million mark and possibly giving The Avengers ($623.3 million) a run for its money for the top spot in the franchise.
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Source: Box Office Pro
- Black Panther Release Date: 2018-02-16
