Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever maintained 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 Forever opened with an impressive $180 million performance last weekend, which currently stands as the second-best premiere of the year behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The anticipation for the Black Panther sequel 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.
As reported by Deadline, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever generated $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's Black Panther. Projections estimated the film would earn roughly $70 million, but the performance still outpaced the opening for Black Adam, which earned $67 million to conclude its debut weekend in October.
The 63% decline for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is 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 Widow sits atop the ranks with the worst decline after suffering a 67.8% drop to end its second weekend in theaters. Thor: Love and Thunder maintains a hold on second place with a 67.7% decline, followed by the recording-breaking film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Black Panther sequel currently sits 5th on the list, but the figure is not as cornering with the holiday weekend around the corner.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever effortlessly beat out Searchlight's The 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 far Black Panther: Wakanda Forever can go with Avatar: The Way of Water approaching. 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 the Black Panther sequel's second-weekend decline is representative of the current movie-going atmosphere.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently playing in theaters.
Source: Deadline