As we head into Thanksgiving weekend, Marvel Studios' final Phase 4 theatrical release, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has officially passed the $300 million mark at the domestic box office.
Though this shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who's been keeping track of its BO performance, Ryan Coogler's powerful sequel is only the seventh movie of 2022 to reach this milestone after Top Gun: Maverick, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Jurassic World: Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru, The Batman and Thor: Love and Thunder.
While some believed Wakanda Forever's lengthy run-time could ultimately hinder positive WOM and repeat-viewings, it doesn't appear to be an issue as the film approaches its third weekend on general release - though it is also worth noting that it hasn't really had to deal with much in the way of competition (it saw off Black Adam with ease, and wasn't really troubled by Disney's animated Strange World movie).
As Wakanda Forever approaches $600 million worldwide, fans are left to wonder if it can hope to match its predecessor's mighty $1 billion+ global haul. As things stand, analysts seem to believe somewhere around $800M - $850M is a more realistic outcome, but nobody expected the first movie to climb as high as it did, either.
Have you been to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever yet? If so, be sure to let us know what you thought of the movie in the comments section (you can check out our review here).
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livanalli.