Box Office: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Makes $28 Million in Previews

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has earned $28 million in Thursday previews. It ranks as the No. 15 highest preview haul ever, and it opens in 4,396 total theaters Friday.

As the sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther,” which took in $25 million in previews before grossing more than $1.3 billion worldwide during its heroic run, “Wakanda Forever” is expected to dominate theaters with around $175 million in its opening weekend. The original “Black Panther” had a $202 million opening weekend and built on its huge buzz to become the first Marvel film to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars. After opening in 43 markets worldwide Thursday, “Wakanda Forever” has made $30.8 million internationally.

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Some projections put the “Wakanda Forever” debut in the $185 million to $200 million range, which would make it the biggest domestic opening of the year. Currently, fellow MCU entry “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” holds the 2022 record with its $187 million launch in May. In comparison, the “Doctor Strange” sequel had $36 million in Thursday previews. The year’s other top opening weekends include “Jurassic World Dominion” ($145 million), “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($144 million), “The Batman” ($134 million) and “Top Gun: Maverick” ($126 million).

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has so far made $66 million in advance ticket sales, which is behind the “Doctor Strange” sequel. However, it’s above July’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the previous Marvel movie that finished with $760 million worldwide and had $29 million in previews.

Taking place years after the original “Black Panther,” the sequel tackles the real-life death of star Chadwick Boseman and the fallout from his absence on the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Angela Bassett’s Queen Ramonda, Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia must pick up the pieces and lead the country as it faces an attack from an underwater kingdom led by all-powerful Namor (Tenoch Huerta).

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