Debuting bang in the middle of the projected range of $175 million and $185 million, Disney and Marvel’s superhero sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has splashed down with a stellar $180 million opening weekend. While that falls short of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $187 million debut which is still the biggest of the year, and the first Black Panther’s $202 million opening weekend haul back in 2018, Wakanda Forever has broken the record for the biggest November debut, overtaking 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Doctor Strange 2 benefited from being a direct follow-up to the record-smashing Spider-Man: No Way Home, which featured Benedict Cumberbatch’s superhero in a pivotal supporting role, not to mention that tantalizing tease of a title. However, word is out that Wakanda Forever is lean on the action, and this is said to have influenced its below-expectations overseas debut, which is coming in at around $150 million. Globally, the film’s total stands at an excellent $330 million. It was projected to make around $365 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
The first Black Panther concluded its run with an astounding $700 million domestic haul — the sixth-biggest tally of all time. It then finished with $1.3 billion globally, against a reported budget of $200 million. Marvel now has three of the top five biggest opening weekends of the year; Thor: Love and Thunder made $144 million in its debut. Other top weekend debuts of 2022 include Jurassic World Dominion ($145 million), The Batman ($134 million) and Top Gun: Maverick ($126 million). As far as Marvel’s internal rankings go, Wakanda Forever’s $180 million debut is just ahead of Captain America: Civil War ($179 million) and Iron Man 3 ($174 million).
Directed by Ryan Coogler, Wakanda Forever was refashioned into a moving tribute to late star Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed in 2020, after privately battling cancer for four years. The film received a strong A CinemaScore from opening day audiences, which could bode well for its holiday season legs.
After topping the box office for three weekends in a row, rival DC’s Black Adam slipped to the number two spot, with $8.6 million in its fourth weekend, taking its running domestic total to $151 million. Starring Dwayne Johnson in a role that he has coveted for over a decade — one that he put all his starry might behind, the film cost a massive $195 million to produce, and is still a long way away from being counted as an outright hit.
Ticket to Paradise, the romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, took the third spot with $6.1 million in its fourth weekend, pushing its running domestic total to over $56 million. Budgeted at a reported $65 million, Ticket to Paradise has made nearly $150 million worldwide, and has offered a glimmer of hope for adult-skewing rom-coms in the theatrical marketplace.
The fourth spot was claimed by Sony’s kid-friendly musical Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, which added $3.2 million this weekend, taking its running domestic total to over $40 million after over a month in theaters. Paramount’s horror hit Smile added $2.3 million in its seventh weekend, pushing its running domestic total to over $102 million. Elsewhere, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans debuted in four theaters, and made $160,000 in its first weekend.
Wakanda Forever is expected to dominate the box office until Disney’s own Avatar: The Way of the Water arrives next month, and it’ll be interesting to see how well it compares to not just its own beloved predecessor, but also other Marvel movies. You can watch our interview with Coogler here, and stay tuned to Collider for updates.