Marvel Studios'
Black Panther emerged as one of 2018's most anticipated movies, and it looks like that anticipation is translating into actual ticket sales.
Box Office Pro has updated their projections for
Black Panther and now predict it to open to $120 million domestically, a $30 million increase from their initial $90 million estimates. This would be an incredible feat for the first standalone film featuring Chadwick Boseman's King of Wakanda, as it would mark just the second time a first entry to a standalone franchise has exceeded the $100 million mark on opening weekend for a Marvel Studios property. The only other Marvel property to break $100 million on opening weekend was
Spider-Man: Homecoming which pulled in $117 million in its first weekend. Like
Black Panther, it too had the advantage of having its titular hero introduced in
Captain America: Civil War.
For comparison, here are the opening weekend numbers for some of Marvel's other first entries to a standalone franchise:
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Iron Man - $98 million
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Captain America: The First Avenger - $65 million
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Thor - $65 million
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Guardians of the Galaxy: $94 million
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Doctor Strange - $85 million
Box Office Pro says of
Black Panther's box office estimates:
"Black Panther‘s initial presales blew past mid-range expectations earlier this week. While caution remains prudent as fans rush to grab tickets for the hotly anticipated Marvel film, the film’s current sales activity combined with a surge of social media momentum now has the it definitively tracking closer to our high-end expectations."
Box Office Pro also estimates a $335 million domestic total for
Black Panther, which would make it the sixth best in MCU history. Of course, a lot of the film's box office long term success will depend on reviews and word of mouth.
Black Panther opens in theaters February 16, 2018.