‘Black Adam’ Stays No. 1 at Box Office as ‘Black Panther 2’ Approaches

*Be warned, major spoilers ahead for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”* Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is expected to cross $600 million at the global box office this weekend. And it’s really quite the feat that co-writer/director Ryan Coogler was able to pull off, given the heartbreaking development process after losing actor Chadwick Boseman and trying to get the massive film completed while honoring his memory.

Refresh for latest…: In its sophomore frame, Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sent its worldwide cume well past the $500M mark, with an estimated $546.3M through Sunday.  The split is $288M domestic and $258.3M from the international box office.

Strengthened by the worldwide release this past weekend of Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the Walt Disney Studios has crossed the $3B box office mark globally for the year so far.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens in theaters today in the US to close out Phase 4 for the MCU. But don’t expect the film’s worldwide box office numbers to reach those of Ryan Coogler‘s 2018 film.

There were a lot of questions going into the release of Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” How would the sequel deal with the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman, the franchise’s leader? Who is going to suit up as the new Black Panther? And do we really need a villain with pointy ears and winged ankles? Thankfully, Ryan Cooger and his fantastic cast have once again delivered a “Black Panther” film that answers all those questions a whole lot more.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens in theaters today in the US to close out Phase 4 for the MCU. But don’t expect the film’s worldwide box office numbers to reach those of Ryan Coogler‘s 2018 film.

Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever got out to a $10.1M start in  17 international box office markets on Wednesday. This is ahead of continued offshore rollout through Friday and the sequel’s domestic debut on Friday (domestic previews start Thursday). 

While it’s unclear whether or not Ryan Coogler is going to return to direct another “Black Panther” film after the release of ‘Wakanda Forever,’ it has long been known the filmmaker is working alongside Marvel Studios to develop spinoffs for Disney+. Originally, it was revealed that the spinoff would be focused on the Dora Milaje, led by Danai Gurira’s Okoye.

Despite the presence of New Line’s Black Adam and Universal’s franchise title Halloween Ends at the October box office, the drought we’ve been weathering since the second frame of August with U.S./Canada weekend ticket sales averaging $58M has been stinging to say the least.

There’s no line in ‘Wakanda Forever,’ the sequel to Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” (2018), as bruising and seething as “Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships because they knew death was better than bondage.” But emotionally, this somber ‘Black Panther’ sequel is just as visceral and lacerating and perhaps just as absolutist. And spiritually, there is great lineage to this bitter resignation about demise, pride, ancestries, the great depths below us, and the refusal to accept enslavement.

Warner Bros/New Line/DC’s Black Adam handily crossed $300M global this frame, landing so far at $182.3M from the international box office and $319.7M worldwide.

Rock documentary Meet Me In The Bathroom grossed $85,683 in four locations for a per screen average of $21,421 in week one, a milestone for the indie distributor. Two of four screenings were one night only, sold-out events at The Fonda in LA and Webster Hall in NY (live performances by The Moldy Peaches, Adam Green, Wah Together)

Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros/New Line DC’s Black Adam in its second offshore frame saw a strong hold, down just 45%. It added $39M from 76 offshore markets to take the running international box office total to $139M for a global cume through Sunday of $250M.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is almost out in the world. Already seen by critics, including yours truly, the Marvel film is action-packed and fierce, yes.

Rihanna, the top-selling digital singles artist of all time, is back to add to that record. Tonight marked the release of the first single from the forthcoming soundtrack to the eagerly awaited film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Let’s celebrate the heydays of this autumn’s box office where we can, the season greatly hampered by a lack of tentpole product.