鈥楤lack Panther鈥� blows away box office with $192M weekend

A wave of feverish anticipation, fawning critical acclaim and groundbreaking cultural meaning pushed 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� to a record-setting $192 million debut in U.S. and Canada theatres, firmly establishing the superhero sensation as a box-office landmark.

The Marvel film from the Walt Disney Co. blew past expectations to become the fifth-highest-grossing debut ever, not adjusting for inflation, following only 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens,鈥� 鈥漇tar Wars: The Last Jedi,鈥� 鈥滼urassic World鈥� and 鈥淭he Avengers.鈥�

In estimates Sunday, Disney predicted a four-day holiday weekend of $218 million domestically and a global debut of $361 million.

Though the film鈥檚 international footprint doesn鈥檛 include several of the largest markets 鈥� China, Russia and Japan 鈥� it still ranks among the top 15 global debuts ever. It鈥檚 also the highest-grossing February opening weekend.

鈥淎ll hail the King of Wakanda!鈥� Disney declared, referring to the movie鈥檚 mythical and highly advanced African nation.

Ryan Coogler鈥檚 film, which cost about $200 million to make, is the most expensive movie with a largely black ensemble and among the few to be centred on a black superhero. The strong opening suggests 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� will easily set a box-office record for films directed by a black filmmaker.

The previous best is Sidney Poitier鈥檚 1980 comedy 鈥淪tir Crazy,鈥� which took in $322 million domestically, when inflation is calculated.

鈥淏lack Panther鈥� set pre-sale records and saw lines around theatres over the weekend, including some who came costumed for the event.

鈥淭his is the very definition of a blockbuster: People lining up around the block to see a great movie,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. 鈥淎 movie like 鈥楤lack Panther鈥� is a cultural event that nothing on the small screen can really match in that way.鈥�

Chadwick Boseman stars as T鈥機halla/Black Panther in the first stand-alone film for the superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966. The cast also features Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong鈥檕, Daniel Kaluuya and Letitia Wright.

The movie has been hugely acclaimed, with a 97 per cent fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences agreed, giving it an A-plus CinemaScore. The film especially resonated among African-Americans, who made up 37 per cent of moviegoers, according to comScore.

Dave Hollis, distribution chief for Disney, called the film鈥檚 success 鈥渁 real source of pride鈥� for Disney.

鈥淚nclusion and representation matters,鈥� Hollis said. 鈥淲e know that great stories can come from anywhere, and our goal is to make films that reflect the wonderful diversity of our world and resonate with audiences everywhere 鈥� no matter who they are, no matter where they come from.鈥�

Coming at one of the slower periods of the year, 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� benefited from little competition, and it can be expected to dominate the marketplace for weeks.

Last week鈥檚 top film, the erotic romance sequel 鈥淔ifty Shades Freed,鈥� slid to third place, with $16.9 million in its second week for Universal. Sony鈥檚 children鈥檚 book adaptation 鈥淧eter Rabbit鈥� held much stronger, taking the No. 2 spot with $17.3 million in its second week.

But moviegoers 鈥� and Hollywood 鈥� were focused on 鈥淏lack Panther,鈥� including how it would fare overseas. Though considered by most to be an outdated myth, some have claimed that foreign audiences have less appetite for films with largely black casts.

鈥淏lack Panther鈥� vanquished those notions with $169 million in ticket sales. It was No. 1 in most international markets, though 鈥淔ifty Shades Freed鈥� bested it in Germany.

Its release in China will come later. This weekend, the Chinese New Year holiday, local productions led by 鈥淒etective Chinatown 2鈥� and 鈥淢onster Hunt 2鈥� dominated Chinese theatres, with more than $140 million in ticket sales each.

鈥淏lack Panther鈥� also performed especially well on large-format screens. Imax reported $30 million in ticket sales for the three-day weekend.

鈥淭here was a groundswell of wanting this movie to work, and then when it actually did as a film, itself, it just kicked it up a notch to a level no one could have ever predicted,鈥� said Greg Foster, Imax Entertainment鈥檚 chief executive. 鈥淭hat makes me feel really good about the movie business.鈥�

star Chadwick Boseman appears on our cover. Here's how he and Ryan Coogler created the most radical superhero movie of all time
鈥� Rolling Stone (@RollingStone)

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday also are included. Final four-day domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

1. 鈥淏lack Panther,鈥� $192 million ($169 million international).

2. 鈥淧eter Rabbit,鈥� $17.3 million.

3. 鈥淔ifty Shades Freed,鈥� $16.9 million ($47.7 million international).

4. 鈥淛umanji Welcome to the Jungle,鈥� $7.9 million ($4.8 million international).

5. 鈥淭he 15:17 to Paris,鈥� $7.7 million ($2.8 million international).

6. 鈥淭he Greatest Showman,鈥� $5.1 million ($9.6 million international).

7. 鈥淓arly Man,鈥� $3.2 million ($3.7 million international).

8. 鈥淢aze Runner: The Death Cure,鈥� $2.5 million ($11 million international).

9. 鈥淲inchester,鈥� $2.2 million.

10. 鈥淪amson,鈥� $2 million.

___

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:

1. 鈥淏lack Panther,鈥� $169 million.

2. 鈥淒etective Chinatown 2,鈥� $155 million.

3. 鈥淢onster Hunt 2,鈥� $141 million.

4. 鈥淥peration Red Sea,鈥� $70.3 million.

5. 鈥淭he Monkey King 3: Kingdom of Women,鈥� $52.3 million.

6. 鈥淔ifty Shades Freed,鈥� $47.7 million.

7. 鈥淏oonie Bears: The Big Shrink,鈥� $32.6 million.

8. 鈥淭he Shape of Water,鈥� $12.3 million.

9. 鈥淢aze Runner: The Death Cure,鈥� $11 million.

10. 鈥淭he Greatest Showman,鈥� $9.6 million.

___

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

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