Black Panther: Wakanda Forever broke a new record after the movie was added to Disney Plus this month. According to reports, the film has become the most-watched global Marvel premiere on Disney Plus.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever faced a tough challenge. After losing its star, Chadwick Boseman, the movie faced the unique challenge of balancing his legacy while continuing despite his absence. Ultimately, the film tells the story of Shuri (Letitia Wright) coming to terms with the loss of T'Challa, culminating in a beautiful ending for Black Panther 2 in which she comes to terms with her grief.
Disney did not provide viewership figures for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, Disney stated that the film was the largest global premiere on Disney Plus for a Marvel movie based on hours streamed over five days. Samba TV, which measures smart tv viewership figures over 3 million devices, stated that the film was viewed in 2.1 million households following its release (via Deadline).
The film's success has been astronomical. Unusually for a superhero film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever secured five Oscar nominations. Angela Bassett picked up a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her turn as Queen Ramonda in the film, while Rihanna's "Lift Me Up" is nominated for Best Original Song. The movie is also up for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Camille Friend and Joel Harlow. Ruth Carter is up for Best Costuming Design, while Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick are up for Best Visual Effects.
Wright has already stated that Black Panther 3 is in the works at Marvel Studios (though she did not give a window for release), so the studio is taking note of the film's success. The project was, perhaps, one of the more challenging ones in recent years, so its success bodes well for the continuation of the franchise in Boseman's absence. Many were skeptical about continuing without him and the character of T'Challa, with some calling for the role to be recast, but it looks like Marvel Studios has set its course.
Black Panther 2 also managed to secure a release in China after the country lifted its Marvel movie ban. This comes after a two-year drought of Marvel releases for Chinese moviegoers, and the already-impressive box office is only expanding its take in China. It looks like the movie will continue its string of successes for the foreseeable future.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Disney Plus, Deadline