“Black Panther” is going to have such a big opening weekend that its four-day start alone will make more money than the first ever movie with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg.
Through 91 days in theaters, the DC team-up film “Justice League” made $228 million domestically, a total that would be good for many other films but was below the $412.5 million made by “Wonder Woman” and below what was expected for a movie that aimed to be DC’s answer to the “Avengers.” “Black Panther” has already more than doubled the three-day opening made by “JL,” with a $201.7 million start compared to $95 million made by “JL” back in November.
Now, all “Black Panther” needs to eclipse the entire domestic run of “JL” is $27 million on President’s Day, a goal it is expected to easily reach. Disney is projecting a $33.3 million Monday to give the film a $235 million start, which would also be bigger than the four-day starts for “Jurassic World” and “The Avengers.” If the four-day start can pass $241 million, it will be the second-highest four-day start of all-time passing the start of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
Down the road, “Black Panther” could soon leave several major releases in the dust. A $100 million second weekend is a possible feat for this film, as next weekend’s releases, “Game Night” and “Annihilation,” aren’t expected to open to more than $25 million. At that pace, “Black Panther” could pass the domestic run for “Thor: Ragnarok” as early as this coming Sunday and pass the domestic run for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” the week after. The sky is truly the limit for Wakanda.