The local release, the 13th most successful of all time according to BoxOfficePro.com, came after the film reached an impressive 330 million globally, which is a tremendous boost for Hollywood after a mediocre October.
“This is a sensational opening,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Reviews and audience scores are excellent. Wakanda should dominate theaters until December.”
The film pays a heartfelt tribute to the star of the original Black PantherChadwick Bosemanwho died of cancer in 2020 at age 43, with several flashback appearances as Wakanda battles an underwater kingdom following the death of Boseman’s character, King T’Challa.
Letitia Wright as Shuri, T’Challa’s sister; and Angela Basset, as Queen Ramonda, fight to fill the void left by the king. It also has stars Lupuita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Winston Duke in the cast.
The original Black Panther, the first major movie about a black superhero, became a cultural phenomenon with a premiere that grossed 202 million dollars and an Oscar nomination for best film.
Much further away, in second place at the box office this weekend, was Black Adam from Warner Bros., with $8.6 million. The film starring Dwayne Johnson, sequel to “Shazam!” of 2019, accumulates 41.1 million dollars in North America.
Universal’s romantic comedy passage to paradisestarring megastars Julia Roberts and George Clooney, managed to clinch third place at the box office with $6.1 million during its fourth week in theaters.
Lilo, my friend the crocodilean animated musical comedy for the whole family, came in at No. 4 with $3.2 million.
A place below was the Paramount horror film Smile, which continues to bring audiences to theaters in its seventh week. With an estimated box office of 2.3 million dollars between Friday and Sunday, it raises its domestic collection to 102 million.
Completing the top 10 were:
The Devil’s Light ($2 million)
The spirits of the island (USD 1.7 million)
One Piece Film: Red ($1.4 million)
Till – The crime that changed everything ($618,000)
Armageddon Time ($352,000)