Marvel Studios’Black Panther: Wakanda Forevermaintained its hold on the domestic box office to conclude its second weekend in theaters, despite a significant percentage dip from its November 11th debut. The Ryan Coogler-directed film generated a lower-than-expected $67.3 million, which fell short of the estimated $70 million the Marvel Studios film looked to take home.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveropened with an impressive $180 million performance last weekend, which currently stands as the second-best premiere of the year behindDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The anticipation for theBlack Panthersequel was evident in audience turnout, propelling the film’s opening to become the best for November. The Marvel Studios project looked to carry that momentum into its sophomore weekend against a slim offering of newly released projects.
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As reported byDeadline,Black Panther: Wakanda Forevergenerated $67.3 million to conclude its second weekend to remain atop the domestic box office standings. The 63% second-weekend decline is reportedly due to the film’s running time, which is about 30 minutes longer than 2018’sBlack Panther. Projections estimated the film would earn roughly $70 million, but the performance stilloutpaced the opening forBlack Adam, which earned $67 million to conclude its debut weekend in October.
The 63% decline forBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveris not uncommon for the studio during the COVID-19 pandemic era. Over the past two decades, 10 Marvel films have fallen 60% or more to conclude a second weekend.Black Widowsits atop the ranks with the worst decline after suffering a 67.8% drop to end its second weekend in theaters.Thor: Love and Thundermaintains a hold on second place with a 67.7% decline, followed by the recording-breaking film,Spider-Man: No Way Home. TheBlack Panthersequel currently sits 5th on the list, but the figure is not as cornering with the holiday weekend around the corner.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forevereffortlessly beat out Searchlight’sThe Menu, which debuted with a less than impressive $9 million to end its opening weekend in second place. The holiday weekend will welcome a brand-new lineup of films heading into theaters, but the Marvel Studios film looks to attract audience attention to build its domestic total, which currently sits a $288 million.
It will be interesting to see how farBlack Panther: Wakanda Forevercan go withAvatar: The Way of Waterapproaching. Due to its length, the running time for the James Cameron film has been a topic of conversation. It may result in low turnout if theBlack Panthersequel’s second-weekend decline is representative of the current movie-going atmosphere.
