No longer is T’Challa just the king of Wakanda – thanks to Black Panther‘s incredible debut, he’s also king of the box office.
With an estimated $419 million already in the bank – $242 million of which was brought in on this side of the pond – Marvel’s latest superhero venture has blown past just about every record in the book.
Not only is it the biggest box-office opening for an African-American director (Ryan Coogler), or the biggest February opening in history, but a $242 million domestic bow places Black Panther among the top five opening weekends of all time – only The Force Awakens ($247M), The Last Jedi ($220M), Jurassic World ($208M) and The Avengers ($207M) have scored higher in North America.
It’s for this reason that Disney CEO Bob Iger believes Black Panther “obliterated expectations.” The deluge of glowing reviews certainly helps, too, of course.
First spotted by ComicBook.com, Iger heaped yet more praise on Ryan Coogler’s standalone movie, which is imbued with “powerful storytelling” capable of shattering myths and bridging cultures.
The world has embraced Black Panther, which has obliterated expectations, broken records & shattered myths. Powerful storytelling that
touches hearts, bridges cultures, opens minds. Grateful to @Marvelstudios, #RyanCoogler & the cast and crew. #BlackPanther #WakandaForever— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) February 20, 2018
And long may it reign. The real question now is whether Black Panther can break $1 billion worldwide. It’s almost half-way there, though, so all bets are off.
Regardless of the final box office tally, T’Challa has fast become one of the MCU’s most important players, and this staggering performance will surely go on to inform the content (and order, perhaps?) of Marvel’s Phase 4. Remember, once Avengers 4 hits theaters, it’s all but certain that Marvel Studios will begin retiring some of its most iconic heroes – namely Iron Man, Captain America and Thor – in order to give way to the next generation of crusaders.
And we’re confident that Black Panther will be leading the charge alongside Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.