‘Black Panther’ Tracking For A Record-Setting $165 Million Opening Weekend
Black Pantheris on track to make history — in more ways than one.
Marvel Studios' first solo black superhero movie has been steadily gathering buzz throughadvance ticket sales,critical acclaim, and good old word-of-mouth…and the hype is starting to manifest in its box office tracking numbers. Early estimates forBlack Panther’s opening weekend box office put the film at a strong $120 million. But with anticipation growing at a breakneck speed,Black Panthertracking numbers have skyrocketed.
Black Pantheris tracking for a massive opening weekend of $165 million, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. That means thatBlack Panthercould set records for the biggest opening ever in the month of February, blowingDeadpool’s $152 million opening in 2016 out of the water.
Hollywood’s leading tracking service NRG initially forecast thatBlack Pantherwould open to $125 million domestically, but last week revised the number to $150 million. Now, in the week of the film’s release, the number has shot up by $15 million.
At $165 million,Black Pantherwould be close to cracking the top 10biggest opening weekendsdomestically. The immense box office opening haul would place it above the entireThe Dark Knighttrilogy (The Dark Knight Risesopened highest at $160.9 million), the entireHunger Gamesseries (Hunger Games: Catching Fireat $158 million), and everyHarry Potterfilm except forThe Deathly Hallows: Part 2($169 million).
Black Panthercould have the fourth highest opening for a Marvel film, lagging behindCaptain America: Civil War’s $179 million. But it would hew closely to Warner Bros.' highest debut for a DC movie:Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceopened to $166 million.
But to temper expectations, Disney insiders still expectBlack Pantherto open in the $75 million-$115 million range. A respectable amount, but not quite reflective of the movie’s fierce following.Black Panthernow boasts a97% on Rotten Tomatoes, the best of any Marvel Studios movie, and has set records with pre-sale tickets.
SoBlack Pantheris expected to do gangbusters Stateside, but what about internationally? The film’s worldwide box office haul is still in contention, as international audiences generally don’t flock to movies with all-black casts. But with the critical acclaim following the movie, and the character’s great reception inCaptain America: Civil War, it could translate to international success.Black Pantherwill open in about 70 percent of the international marketplace this week. It will open later in Russia (February 22), Japan (March 1) and China (March 9).
Black Pantheris directed byRyan Cooglerand starsChadwick Bosemanas T’Challa/Black Panther. The star-studded, majority-black cast is rounded out byLupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest WhitakerandAndy Serkis.Black Pantheropens in theaters onFebruary 16, 2018.
