Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Is Ruling The Box Office And How

The Marvel film had a huge opening this weekend

Disney and Marvel's highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had a huge opening this weekend, taking in an estimated $180 million in North American theaters, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. That domestic opening - the 13th highest all-time, according to BoxOfficePro.com - came as the film was raking in an impressive $330 million worldwide, a major boost for Hollywood after a lackluster October.

"This is a sensational opening," said David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "Reviews and audience scores are excellent - Wakanda should dominate moviegoing... into December."

The film pays heartfelt tribute to the star of the original Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, who died from cancer in 2020 at age 43. He makes several flashback appearances as the fictional Wakanda fights against an underwater kingdom after the death of Boseman's character, King T'Challa.

Letitia Wright, as T'Challa's sister Shuri, and Angela Bassett, as Queen Ramonda, struggle to fill the king's shoes. Also starring are Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira and Winston Duke.