Let’s face it, we’re all going to be emotional wrecks watching Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The film confronts head-on the pain that we are all still feeling over the death of Chadwick Boseman, in a way that should bring us all together for the healing we need. That’s a lot of pressure for a single movie to carry, and in a way it almost feels crass to talk about box office and the money it’ll make.
But talk about it we shall, because Wakanda Forever is poised to make some serious bank on opening weekend. According to NRG projections (via Variety), the film could top $175M in its first weekend of release. That would be slightly less than the $187M start for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and better than Thor: Love & Thunder‘s $144M.
In 2018, Black Panther took off with a massive $202M, on its way to $1.3B worldwide and becoming a cultural phenomenon. Of course, those were different times, and theaters are not quite back to pre-pandemic numbers even if Marvel films are thriving.
But I wonder if Wakanda Forever will be such an emotion drain that it won’t get the repeat viewership of its predecessor? The introduction of Namor (Tenoch Huerta) as leader of a people who are influenced by Mexican culture could bring in a sizable new audience, though.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens on November 18th.
