Black Panther' Roars to Top of Box Office

By Ben Fritz 

It was one of the biggest superhero movie openings of all time, but instead of wearing capes and masks to the theater, fans wore traditional African garb.

With an estimated opening of $235 million in the U.S. and Canada over Presidents Day weekend, "Black Panther" wasn't just another blockbuster success for Walt Disney Co.'s Marvel Studios, but a breakthrough for motion pictures with primarily black casts. It was the first such movie to open to more than $100 million.

Its $201.8 million gross from Thursday night through Sunday is the fifth highest of all time, behind only the last two "Star Wars" sequels, "Jurassic World" and Marvel's "The Avengers."

Overseas, "Black Panther" broke free from a long history of movies with primarily black casts performing relatively poorly or not even being released in some regions. The new superhero movie grossed $169 million overseas, making it the 25th-highest foreign debut of all time. And that's without three major markets -- China, Japan and Russia -- where it will open later.

Its highest national gross overseas was the $25.3 million in South Korea, where one sequence of the movie takes place. The movie also grossed a very strong $24.8 million in the U.K. and Ireland. Across West and East Africa, "Black Panther" posted the biggest opening weekend ever, with $443,000 and $267,000, respectively. In South Africa, it had the third-highest opening ever at $1.4 million.

Based on a Marvel comic book character who first appeared 52 years ago, "Black Panther" takes place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, which has kept its technological superiority hidden from the rest of the world and is defended by a lineage of kings with superpowers. The movie features some of Hollywood's top black actors including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett. It was directed by Ryan Coogler, who previously made "Creed" and "Fruitvale Station."

Though Hollywood has faced economic and cultural pressures to diversify its casting for years, the industry has been reluctant to feature primarily nonwhite casts in big-budget movies with aspirations of global blockbuster status. The "Fast & Furious" franchise previously broke ground with a diverse cast of leading characters from various ethnic backgrounds. But when making films with largely black casts in the past, Hollywood has largely stuck to lower-budget comedies like "Girls Trip" and Tyler Perry's "Madea" movies.

The success of "Black Panther," which had a budget of about $200 million, indicates there isn't just interest in minority representation in big budget action films, but a pent-up demand. The film's opening over the weekend became a cultural moment, with fans organizing group outings, raising money to buy tickets for underprivileged children, and expressing their excitement on social media. Colorful dashiki shirts were a common sight at theaters throughout the nation.

U.S. audiences were 37% African-American, according to exit polling, just slightly ahead of the 35% who were white and the 18% Hispanic. Males made up 55%, and 65% of the audience was under 35.

IMAX Corp. screens generated $35 million of the global gross, of which $23.5 million was in the U.S. and Canada.

The success of "Black Panther" comes just eight months after "Wonder Woman" demonstrated that a superhero movie starring a woman can also be a blockbuster success.

Write to Ben Fritz at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 19, 2018 14:57 ET (19:57 GMT)

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