Will Black Panther: Wakanda Forever be Marvel’s most significant box office success of the year? According to box office forecasts, the Marvel Studios sequel will have a domestic opening weekend of $175-185 million and a massive worldwide opening haul of $335-365 million — the third-largest pandemic era debut, running down only Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($568m) last December and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($429m) this summer.
However, recent reports suggest that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s opening weekend collection might not go beyond Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s weekend collection is just behind Doctor Strange 2
Wakanda Forever paid homage to Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, who died of cancer in August 2020. Rather than being recast, his character will be written out of the MCU in the sequel. Marvel unveiled the film’s tear-jerking trailer at San Diego Comic-Con, paying respect to Boseman and his character T’Challa’s legacy.
The film is finally set to hit theatres, and early ticket sales indicate that Marvel Studios may have another blockbuster on their hands. Through Sunday, advance ticket sales for Disney-Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stand at $45 million, chasing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness by about 20% and ahead of Thor: Love & Thunder by 40%.
It’s being speculated that by Friday, the total could be between $60 and $65 million in advanced ticket sales, which would be more than the $55 million earned by Black Panther in advanced ticket sales in 2018. It went on to gross $202 million in its first weekend.
Doctor Strange 2 had $85 million in advance sales before its $187.4 million domestic opening, while Thor: Love & Thunder had $48 million in advance sales before its preview Thursday. Black Panther had $55 million in advance tickets before debuting to $202 million over three days in February 2018.
How will Black Panther: Wakanda Forever perform compared to other MCU films
It will be exciting to see if Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s opening weekend increases compared to the first film, which set records, or if it decreases slightly. Even if it doesn’t earn as much as the first Black Panther, the sequel is likely to rank among the top earners in the MCU. While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever may trail Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in terms of advanced ticket sales, this does not account for people who wait in line the weekend of the film’s release or walk up to the ticket counter.
Wakanda Forever is expected to open to $175-$185 million, with a global debut of $355-$365 million. The critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 90%.
We’ve heard that advance ticket sales for Black Panther 2 will be evenly distributed over the upcoming holiday weekend rather than being front-loaded. Because 52% of K-12 schools are closed on Friday for Veterans Day, the box office should see an increase.
If Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a success, theatre owners will benefit. This fall has seen a few modest successes, such as Halloween Ends and Smile, but the theatrical industry desperately needs a massive blockbuster to help it recover from COVID. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water are predicted to turn things around and provide the entertainment industry with the commercial juggernauts it requires during the holiday season.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to release on 11th November, this Friday.
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