By Emegwoako C. Paschal
In just over a week since its release, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has surpassed $546 million (approximately Rs. 4,500 crore). According to Deadline, the Ryan Coogler-directed sequel saw a 49 percent drop in overseas earnings, which contributed $258.3 million (roughly Rs. 2,113 crore) to the total collection.
Black Panther 2 is currently the seventh-biggest film worldwide, with a reported $250 million (approximately Rs. 2,000 crore) budget, and is expected to outperform other Marvel Cinematic Universe releases this year.
In comparison, Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness grossed $955.8 million (approximately Rs. 7,800 crore) worldwide and is currently ranked third as the highest-grossing film of 2022.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is ranked seventh, has a high bar to clear, given that its predecessor not only grossed $1.3 billion (approximately Rs. 10,600 crore), but also received seven Academy Award nominations, including the prestigious Best Picture award.
In India, Black Panther 2 earned a reported Rs. 46.88 crore in its first theatrical week, which is close to the Rs. 50 crore lifetime gross of the original 2018 film.
Meanwhile, holds were strong in parts of Europe, with Germany and the Netherlands losing 31 percent each, and the UK losing 48 percent. According to Deadline, “Australia fell 39%, Brazil fell 43%, and Mexico and Taiwan fell 45% each.”
Earnings from the Asia Pacific region have remained soft, with talk about the film’s lack of action and length affecting the hype that Marvel movies usually generate.
Nonetheless, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever remains the biggest non-local film in all regions, even outperforming its rival DC Comics’ Black Adam.
The Dwayne Johnson-led film grossed $140 million (approximately Rs. 1,100 crore) in its first month of release and is now worth around $360 million (approximately Rs. 2,900 crore) globally.
The production of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever encountered numerous challenges, ranging from COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns to actress Letitia Wright’s injury. The $250 million film was also forced to change its script in the middle because previous star Chadwick Boseman died in mid-2020 after a private battle with cancer.
All of this is to say that the Ryan Coogler-directed sequel has another month to dominate the box office before James Cameron’s highly anticipated Avatar: The Way of Water arrives on December 16.
