In only 2 weeks, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had crossed over the half-billion dollar mark in its global box office haul. Domestically, the movie is on its way to overtaking Phase Four’s grand multiversal epic, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However grand Hollywood’s latest projects may be, Black Panther 2 and its surrealistic potential have become the ultimate crowd winner. The film is not simply a tribute but a transcendental masterpiece and as such, it is only fit to dethrone every predecessor Marvel movie and rule over the box office in each of its weekend tallies.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Assumes Box Office Reign
After a steady and streamlining win at the box office, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, since its release on November 11, 2022, has had fans obsessed with the film proving its mettle over Phase Four disappointments like Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange 2. No matter the parallel releases (like Strange World, The Menu, and She Said) that have been receiving a soft launch preceding Thanksgiving week, all eyes have been trained on the Ryan Coogler sequel that has won critical acclaim in the immediate aftermath of its release.
Opening domestically with an earning of $181.34 million, Black Panther 2 already showed strong potential after being hailed as the second biggest opening of 2022 (placing only after Top Gun: Maverick). Over the following weeks, the film has subdued and overshadowed all other projects in its vicinity with its grandeur and beautiful storytelling, and the film’s potential and vision have been rewarded with a similarly grand box office tally that exceeds $675.57 million worldwide and $367.67 domestically.
Ryan Coogler’s Vision Topples Sam Raimi & Taika Waititi
Two of the greatest directors of the 21st century had nothing on the 36-year-old Academy Award-nominee Ryan Coogler. Sam Raimi‘s multiversal drama in Doctor Strange 2 played out at an epic scale and gave the MCU fandom its first look into the expansive world-building that lies ahead but at the same time, the movie failed in its overarching ambition and for willing to ingratiate its already full plate with an excess of A-lister cameos. Similarly, Taika Waititi‘s fascination with the weird and the uncanny flies perfectly with productions like What We Do in the Shadows but fails to make a similar impact when applied under the MCU banner, and that too with a classically grim demigod like Thor.
So when Ryan Coogler, defined by an unforgettable tragedy has to manage a script, its direction, and the cast who are similarly trying to process the passing of their friend, brother, and leader, he does not strive for Marvellian grandeur but sticks to the humility shown by the franchise in its formative years during Phase One. Coogler attempts to build out a narrative that isn’t obsessed with monochromatic action or grand battles or world-ending threats but rather shows growth and substance in its plot. In that, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a definitive win for Marvel Studios.
The latest domestic earnings of the film have already dethroned Thor: Love and Thunder‘s display of $343.25 million and is adamantly headed to take down Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and its bold accumulations of $411.33 million. If Black Panther 2 intends to reign over the latter, the film needs to pick up steam before the launch of James Cameron‘s Avatar: The Way of Water on December 23, 2022.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theatres.
Source: Box Office Mojo
