'Black Panther' boasts second-best sophomore weekend in US box office history
- "Black Panther" surpassed $100 million in its second weekend in U.S. theaters, becoming only the fourth movie to achieve the feat.
- The Disney and Marvel Studios film topped "Jurassic World" and "Marvel's Avengers" to post the second best sophomore weekend in U.S. history.
- High praise from critics and positive word of mouth have sustained the buzz around the first big-budget superhero movie to feature a majority black cast.
"Black Panther" is on pace to drum up more than $100 million in its second weekend at the U.S. box office, becoming only the fourth movie in history to achieve that feat.
Walt Disney estimates the Marvel Studios film will earn $108 million at North American theaters this weekend, the second-best sophomore weekend of all time.
"Black Panther" trails only "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which earned $149.2 million in its second Friday-Sunday window. It edges out "Jurassic World" and "Marvel's Avengers," which earned $106.6 million and $103.1 million, respectively.
"Black Panther" has now earned $400 million in U.S. theaters. No other movie in Marvel Studios' series of 18 interconnected films has ever crossed that threshold so quickly.
The latest estimate from the House of Mouse shows the superhero movie's worldwide ticket sales climbing to $704 million through Sunday.
"Black Panther" has proven its staying power after breaking records during its North American debut last weekend.
The film's $40.2 million haul on Monday was the biggest Monday at the U.S. box office ever. "Black Panther" also posted the fourth-best first week at U.S. theaters and took the crown for the best North American opening week for a Marvel Studios film.
Audiences have packed multiplexes to experience the first big-budget superhero movie to feature a majority black cast, set its story in an African locale, and tackle the legacy of slavery and themes of black identity.
High praise from critics and positive word of mouth have helped to sustain the buzz around "Black Panther," which set social media on fire ahead of its premiere.
The film boasts a 97 percent "fresh" rating on movie review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the best score for any Marvel Studios movie.
Nearly 90 percent of moviegoers said they would definitely recommend "Black Panther," according to surveys conducted by comScore and Screen Engine.
Meanwhile, foreign audiences have chipped in $304 million since the movie debuted in international markets on February 13, according to Disney. The top overseas markets to date are the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Brazil.
"Black Panther" is debuting in the key Russian market this weekend and will premiere next week in Japan, another critical location.
The following weekend, it opens in China, where Marvel Studios movies have recently drummed up more than $100 million in total domestic box office sales.