Fall Box Office Was Even Worse Than 2021 Despite ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ | Chart

Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” did its job in providing box office relief for movie theaters in desperate need of a blockbuster, but the film’s success wasn’t able to salvage a fall box office that was worse than what a COVID-addled industry was able to produce last year, when many theaters still hadn’t reopened or faced pandemic-era restrictions.

According to data from Box Office Mojo, the combined domestic box office total from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, 2022 came out to $1.41 billion, a drop of approximately $100 million from the same period last year when audiences were still slowly returning to reopening theaters and the biggest blockbusters were being graded on a pandemic curve.

During that time, studios and theaters relied on tentpoles that had delayed their releases due to the pandemic, with Marvel films “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” leading the way with domestic runs of $200 million-plus. MGM’s James Bond film “No Time to Die,” Warner Bros.’ “Dune,” Disney/Marvel’s “Eternals” and Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” all provided additional help with $100 million-plus totals.

By contrast, “Wakanda Forever” has done all the heavy lifting this fall, accounting for 26.5% of all revenue reported in the past three months and topping the combined total of the next two highest grossing films over the period: Warner Bros.’ “Black Adam” ($165 million) and Paramount’s “Smile” ($105 million). In addition, no other films outside of those three topped $100 million domestic.

With the fall slate failing to yield a large number of films that sparked strong moviegoer interest compared to last year, theaters were left relying on the most anticipated comic book movie sequel of the year to keep business even close to last year’s pandemic-shrunk levels. In 2021, the lower-than-usual returns seen by the box office were seen as part of a slow recovery process that seemed to reach a new level this past spring and early summer, but everything that has unfolded this fall has been several steps backwards.

Also Read:
‘Violent Night’ Unwraps a Sweet $13.3 Million at Post-Thanksgiving Box Office

While 2023 overall should be better with more franchise films — and more films overall — expected to hit theaters, it’s hard to say whether the fall will show any major signs of improvement. Warner Bros. may have a populist awards contender to boost numbers with “Dune: Part Two” next November, but the rest of the autumn slate consists of franchise films that at best are likely to earn modest profits rather than huge windfalls. Among next fall’s biggest titles: Warner/New Line’s “The Nun 2,” Universal’s reboot of “The Exorcist,” DreamWorks’ “Trolls 3” and Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Disney Animation will also try to rebound from the failure of “Strange World” with the original musical “Wish” at Thanksgiving.

With a low chance of a “Joker”-level hit coming out from these films and the box office potential of prestige dramas drying up, theaters may be bracing for a permanent dip in audience turnout between the summer and holiday seasons. For an industry that still hasn’t completely recovered from the pandemic, that would be bleak news indeed.

Also Read:
Netflix Blew a $100 Million-Plus Box Office Windfall From ‘Glass Onion’