'Black Panther' sequel roars to box office record
Marvel Studios adventure "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" brought crowds to cinemas around the globe over the weekend, selling an estimated US$330 million in tickets and setting a November record in the United States and Canada. The sequel to 2018 Oscar-nominated blockbuster "Black Panther" racked up roughly US$180 million at domestic theaters from Thursday night to Sunday, distributor Walt Disney said. That marked the highest total ever for a film opening in November, topping the US$158.1 million for 2013 film "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Outside the domestic market, "Wakanda Forever" pulled in an estimated US$150 million from Wednesday to Sunday. It ranked as the top-grossing Hollywood release in all markets. The results provided a boost to cinemas, which have struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels of ticket sales. The domestic total ranked as the No 13 movie debut of all time. "One of the top 15 openings of all time tells me the box office is pretty healthy when there is something audiences what to see," said Jeff Bock, senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations. "Marvel time and time again offers something audiences want to see." The original "Black Panther," starring Chadwick Boseman as King T'Challa, broke ground as the first superhero film with a predominantly Black cast. The film took in US$1.3 billion at worldwide box offices over its run and became the only superhero movie ever nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. Marvel had to rework "Wakanda Forever" after Boseman died of cancer in 2020 just before filming was supposed to begin. The studio decided not to cast another actor in the role of T'Challa. Instead, writer and director Ryan Coogler crafted a new film that centers around T'Challa's younger sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), his mother Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and other women who step up to help lead the grieving nation. Film critics praised the sequel, saying Marvel had succeeded in paying tribute to Boseman while offering a compelling film despite the loss of the popular lead character. (Reuters)