Black Panther scores $75.8M Friday; $200-210M four-day haul in sight

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

BLACK PANTHER weekend is finally here, and just like everyone expected the movie will reign as king of the box office. In fact, not only will it come out at number one this weekend, but it's aiming to have one of the biggest openings of all time, as indicated by its opening-day tally of a whopping $75.8 million. 

That is an absurd amount of money for a Marvel solo outing and marks the eighth biggest opening day of all time (edging out THE DARK KNIGHT RISES by about $50,000), and the third biggest for a Marvel movie (behind the AVENGERS and AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON). This first-day total also includes the Thursday previews, which brought in $25.2 million, the second-largest for an MCU movie. In terms of the long weekend haul, early estimates are placing the three-day total at about $185 million, which would give it the sixth biggest three-day total ever. For the four-day Presidents Day weekend, the movie is expected to make somewhere between $200-210 million.

This weekend total will shatter the previous February opening record, which is currently held by DEADPOOL, which also blew away expectations with $152 million during the same frame. As for movies in the MCU, PANTHER’s opening will rise above all others in the franchise, with the exception of the two AVENGERS movies. That being said, if the movie does overperform through the weekend any more than it has, it could even beat the three-day total of AGE OF ULTRON ($191 million).

PANTHER has been experiencing a whirlwind of positive buzz all year, with the pre-sale ticket amounts blowing away any expectations. What also helped matters is the near-universal acclaim for the movie, as it stands with a phenomenal 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. As well, it has been revealed that the movie has achieved an A+ Cinemascore, the only Marvel movie to do so since THE AVENGERS in 2012. 

Like many fans around the world, I'm thrilled this movie is breaking out so much. PANTHER is among the strongest MCU outings on multiple levels and delivers on the kind of complex emotions and themes blockbusters don't often have. The movie will continue to be the talk of the town the rest of the month, if the not the year, and I feel this only the beginning of BLACK PANTHER's reign. 

BLACK PANTHER is in theaters now…duh.