The superhero sequel debuted in the United States with a massive $181 million, trailing only rival Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($187.4 million) for the best November debut ever, and it handily ousted the DC superhero film Black Adam, now in its fourth weekend, from the weekend box office crown.
The Marvel and Disney blockbuster opened at $150.3 million abroad for a global opening of $331.3 million (which is more than DC’s Black Adam made in its first three weeks of release). Overall, Europe performed well, with the U.K. ($15 million) and France ($13.7 million) taking the top two spots. Mexico finished third overall among all markets with $12.8 million, ahead of South Korea ($8.9 million) and Brazil ($7.1 million). Nigeria, the movie’s African debut, saw Wakanda Forever’s highest opening ever.
According to Comscore, Wakanda Forever ranks No. 13 on the all-time list of domestic debuts (releases from Disney and Marvel now account for all but one of the 13), even though it fell short of Coogler’s Black Panther’s $202 million domestic premiere in 2018. After a challenging fall for theater owners, the sequel’s appearance on the marquee couldn’t have been more appreciated.
Wakanda Forever was expected to have a $175 million to $200 million opening weekend. Up to this point, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158 million) had the largest November opening.
One of the largest opening days ever, Black Panther 2 grossed $84 million on Friday alone while playing in 4,396 domestic theaters, almost tying Avengers: Age of Ultron for ninth place on the list without accounting for inflation. The haul from Friday included $28 million from Thursday night previews. Veteran’s Day was on Friday.
