Black Panther' Roars to Top of Box Office
February 19 2018 - 03:12PM
Dow Jones News
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 ben.fritz@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 19, 2018 14:57 ET (19:57 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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