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*Good God Almighty! “Black Panther” is doing the damn thing like it’s never been done before. The Marvel-Disney blockbuster is headed for a super-duper $218 million debut over the four-day President’s Day weekend at 4,020 North American locations, according to estimates on Sunday.
That number means that “Black Panther,” starring Chadwick Boseman and directed by Ryan Coogler, has doubled its original tracking in less than a month, says Variety. It also means that the film, which carries an estimated $200 million production cost, had been tracking to bring in between an impressive $100 and $120 million when first estimates emerged on Jan. 25. Well that wes then. These days the film has become a must-see event for many moviegoers.
The film’s estimated three-day gross of $192 million is the highest debut ever for a February film and the fifth highest of all time. Combined with an estimated international debut of $169 million from 69% of the international market, the estimated global debut stands at $361 million through Sunday.
Simply put, “Black Panther” has slashed the record for the largest Presidents Day weekend, blowing past “Deadpool’s” 2016 mark of $152 million. Overall North American moviegoing for the four-day period should hit $300 million — far above the $278 million mark in 2016, according to comScore.
“This is proof that the big screen experience may arguably be the most powerful platform of change in our society,” said Paul Dergarabedian,” senior media analyst with comScore. “The emotional, communal, immersive and bigger than life theatrical experience has an impact that virtually no other medium can match.”
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Here’s more from the Variety piece:
It’s received an A+ CinemaScore, the only Marvel film to have done so besides 2012’s “The Avengers.” Comscore’s PostTrak survey of the audience showed outstanding numbers with 77% rating “Black Panther” as “excellent” and another 18% as “very good.”
The audience skewed slightly more male, with 55% male moviegoers compared to 45% female according. Adults made up 73% of the audience, with families another 17% and 10% teens. According to Comscore, the audience was 37% African American, 35% Caucasian and 18% Hispanic.
Now that’s what we call diversity. Hollywood and American business interests would be downright stupid to ignore this reality going forward. It’s a news day and a new world.
Read the rest of this story at Variety and learn about the AMC chain reporting on Sunday that that 80 AMC locations, more than 10% of its U.S. circuit, have set an admissions-revenue record for a single title on opening weekend. Imax locations took in $23 million for the fourth-highest total in the format of all time.
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