If you’re tired of hearing about Black Panther, you’ll likely need to stay off the internet for a couple more months before this wave dies down—if it ever does. After securing a record-breaking opening weekend, the Marvel film has now locked in the highest-grossing first week of any film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The figure we’re looking at here is a whopping $292 million in North America alone. The next film to ever come close to this was 2012’s The Avengers, which now sits at second place, racking up $270 million in its opening week. Internationally, Black Panther has earned $228 million, bringing its total throughout the globe to a little over half a billion dollars with $520 million in the bank.
Last weekend, Black Panther opened up with a $202 million-dollar weekend and is poised to rake in a second weekend of at least $100 million—a rare feat. Analysts predict the film to experience a drop of 41%, meaning that it should make somewhere around the $120 million mark, potentially securing yet another great accomplishment.
"It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film,” director Ryan Coogler wrote in a letter addressing fans and moviegoers this week. “To see people of all backgrounds wearing clothing that celebrates their heritage, taking pictures next to our posters with their friends and family, and sometimes dancing in the lobbies of theaters — often moved me and my wife to tears.”
If you haven’t already seen Black Panther, you know what to do.