Marvel’s Black Panther is officially the highest grossing superhero film of all time in the United States, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The latest release from the Marvel Cinematics Universe officially surpassed Marvel’s The Avengers and became one of seven movies to earn more than $600 million at the domestic box office. Currently, it is number six on that list.
The movie was released in mid-February, and while most hardcore Marvel fans have likely already seen it, it is possible that more causal fans were waiting for the crowds to die down. Beyond that, repeat viewings are a common trend in comic book movies so we would not be too surprised to see Black Panther climb even higher on that list.
In addition to the North American market, Black Panther has proven to be a hit overseas. At the worldwide box office, the movie has earned more than $1.2 billion and is projected to surpass Iron Man 3, which earned 1.214 billion, on Sunday. This will make Black Panther the third most successful comic book movie after The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
At a budget of $200 million, Black Panther has turned out to be a major success for Marvel, though the movie was far from a sure thing. Starring an almost all-black cast and taking place in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, there were some concerns that the movie would not do well with mainstream audiences. Those fears have since been proven unfounded, as the film has been a hit with audiences and critics alike.
The summer blockbuster season hasn’t even gotten started, but Disney’s success isn’t likely to show down anytime soon. Next month will see release of the long-awaited Avengers: Infinity War and the arrival of the mad titan Thanos. In many ways, the entire MCU has been laying the groundwork for Infinity War, so it will likely just as big of a hit, if not bigger, than the previous Avengers movies. Beyond the Marvel universe, Disney also has Solo: A Star Wars Story set to release in May, so don’t be too surprised if the entertainment juggernaut continues to dominate the box office for the rest of 2018.
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