BOX OFFICE: BLACK PANTHER Exceeds Expectations And Tops CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR In Thursday Previews
As expected, Black Panther exceeded expectations at the North American box office last night and all of Deadpool's February records are being shattered! Hit the jump for details on that and more...
Black Panther is making history at the box office as Marvel's latest movie scored a whopping $25.2 million during last night's preview showings. That puts it ahead of Captain America: Civil War and the only superhero movies which have opened bigger than this are The Dark Knight Rises ($30.6 million), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($27.7 million), and Avengers: Age of Ultron ($27.6 million).
Now, the Ryan Coogler helmed release has scored the best preview number for February ever, effortlessly topping Deadpool's $12.7 million from 2016. Tracking currently suggests that Black Panther will earn around $165 million over the four-day weekend but those are relatively conservative estimates and it's entirely possible that it will earn quite a bit more with positive word of mouth.
Black Panther is also doing well overseas where it's opened in a number of markets to so far score $47 million. It doesn't reach Russia until February 22nd and Japan follows on March 1st with China not too far behind on the 9th. As Marvel's best-reviewed movie on Rotten Tomatoes, you have to believe that Kevin Feige won't hesitate to get work on a sequel moving soon. Have you seen Black Panther?