Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris one of the most highly-anticipated movies in 2022, however, to many people’s surprise interest in the sequel so far seems a tad below another of Marvel’s blockbusters for this year,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Currently,Doctor Strange 2stands as Marvel Studios' biggest hit in Phase Four after the film amassed $955.7m in box office earnings worldwide on a $200m budget, a milestone Disney executives sure have on their sights forWakanda Forever, seeing as the originalBlack Pantherbecame a $1.34 billion phenomenon. Nevertheless, forecasts stemming from ticket sales all the way through Sunday might hint at an uphill battle forWakanda Forever, especially when considering the movie cost an extra $50m to be made.
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According toDeadline,Wakanda Foreverhas so far sold $45m worth of movie tickets for its opening weekend, roughly 20% down from what Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch had achieved, but still much higher thanThor: Love and Thunder. Regardless of that, most industry insiders aren’t too obsessed with those numbers, especially on a Holiday weekend that will see many of Marvel’s younger audiences in the United States enjoying a break from school on Friday due to Veterans Day.
Commercial projections forWakanda Foreverhave the film targeting a $175-185m opening weekend in the U.S. and a $355-365m total worldwide, both of which would put it slightly behind whatDoctor Strange 2achieved ($187.4M U.S. and Canada or $452.4 globally). Whileinitial critics’ reviews forBlack Panther Wakanda Foreverappear to agree on the movie not quite hitting the same heights as 2018’sBlack Panther, Ryan Coogler’s second superhero gig is still off to a great start.
Wakanda Foreveris a film largely defined by the passing of Chadwick Boseman, whose legacy has expanded well beyond filmmaking due to his relationship with many of the people that worked onBlack Panther.Marvel and Coogler’s decision not to recast T’Challahas not exactly been met with unanimous approval from the fan base yet, at the very least, if there’s one thing the entire cast has made clear is that this is the movie they wanted to make to honor the late actor.
In what -by most accounts- has proven to bea divisive Phase Four for the MCU,Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris being heralded as the best film to come out of it, a title alone that’s perhaps much more valuable than financial success.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill release in theaters on June 16, 2025.
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