In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, Ryan Coogler’s superhero film Black Panther has been absolutely smashing it at box office’s across the world.
The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe picture has continued to surpass its expectations, in its sophomore outing, grossing an estimated $108 million from 4,020 theaters to score the top second weekend of all time behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Black Panther hit the $400 million mark in the US in just 10 days after dropping a narrow 47 percent from its opening weekend.
If you’ve not seen it yet – check out the footage below and go and book a ticket:
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Meanwhile, overseas, it earned $83.8 million for an international tally of $304 million and global haul of $704 million – Imax theaters have turned in a total of $50 million.
In North America, Black Panther – the fourth movie to cross $100 million in its second weekend – earned more than any number of 2017 tentpoles did in their first weekend, including Wonder Woman ($103.3 million), Justice League ($93 million) and The Fast and the Furious ($98.8 million). It ties with Jurassic World in reaching $400 million faster than any film in history behind The Force Awakens, report The Hollywood Reporter.
Adding to its list of accomplishments, Black Panther is on the verge of becoming the number three MCU title of all time in the US as it prepares to pass up Captain America: Civil War ($408 million) and Iron Man 3 ($409 million) in the next few days.
It’ll soon surpass Avengers: Age of Ultron ($459 million) on its way to potentially eclipsing The Avengers ($623.4 million) to become the number one superhero title of all time, unadjusted for inflation.
In terms of content and quality, Black Panther is undoubtedly appealing to the masses, but the film also serves as a welcome – and much needed – vehicle for change and progression for Marvel.
Black Panther is Marvel and Disney’s most socially-aware solo film since Civil War, it’s also a landmark achievement for the studio due to the sum of its many parts.
From the minute Black Panther kicks off the audience is thrown into the beautiful world of Wakanda, which is steeped in African culture and lore.
Director Ryan Coogler shows his skill as he weaves a story of cultural identity and responsibility, as well as breathing life into a fictional nation plausible in the real world.
In the film, Chadwick Boseman stars as T’Challa/Black Panther alongside Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis.
The story, described as a tale of black power and black pride in addition to its superhero themes, follows T’Challa as he’s sworn in as king of Wakanda – a cloaked, technologically advanced nation in Africa, home to the exotic metal vibranium, the source of Black Panther’s powers.
While there’s a greater sense of seriousness in Black Panther, it still manages to maintain the same charm and humour the MCU is well-known and much-loved for.
As well as its cultural and social importance, the film is evident of some great acting performances – most notably Chadwick Boseman, who was the right fit to wear the crown as King T’Challa, ruler of Wakanda and Michael B. Jordan, who provides the perfect antithesis to Boseman.
Black Panther is one Marvel’s most important films in terms of social awareness, so it’s great to see it taking in so much money, while hopefully encouraging its audience to think deeper beyond simply what they’re seeing on the surface.
It not only provides an intelligent, thought-provoking and often at times, visceral commentary about heritage and tradition, it’s also accessible enough for a wide range of audiences to enjoy and embrace.
Go and see it now!
