‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Had a Gigantic Opening Weekend at the Box Office

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ruled the box office over the weekend, reportedly opening to an estimated $180 million domestically.

After its opening weekend, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is at the top of the box office. The Marvel Studios film received the highest-grossing debut ever for the month of November, grossing an estimated $180 million in North America and $330 million globally. The original record for highest-grossing premiere last belonged to 2013 action epic The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which debuted to $158 in its first week. Wakanda Forever also holds the title for second-biggest opening of 2022, behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which accumulated $185 million in May.

The domestic box office for Wakanda Forever comes second to its inaugural film Black Panther, which opened in February 2018 to a $202 million weekend. The Ryan Coogler-directed film went on to make $1.3 billion worldwide, boast an “inspired by” soundtrack curated by Kendrick Lamar and receive multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The film would ultimately win three Oscars, including Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Original Score.

The high box office sales and acclaim for Wakanda Forever is appropriate, as the film currently holds an 84% ‘Certified Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The saga of Wakanda will continue, as the franchise has reportedly landed a prequel on Disney+ via Coogler’s production company Proximity Media. According to Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore, the fictional country will host multiple series on Disney’s streaming platform.

“This world is expansive, and there are so many great characters,” Moore told Variety. “Beyond what happens with this film, there are more opportunities to go back to Wakanda.”