‘Black Panther’ to Hit $500 Million Worldwide, Beats ‘Avengers’ Wednesday Record
After adding $29 million on Wednesday, “Black Panther” now has a worldwide total of $491 million at the box office. The film will pass the half-billion mark today, hitting the milestone after just nine days in theaters.
On the domestic side, “Black Panther” set a new box office record for the Marvel Cinematic Universe by making $14.5 million on its first Wednesday. That’s a new record for the highest Wednesday total scored by the decade-old franchise, beating the $13.6 million mark set by “The Avengers” six years ago.
Also Read: 'Black Panther': All the Box Office Records It Has Broken So Far (Photos)
The huge start for “Black Panther,” combined with the holdover grosses of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” has pushed the global revenue for Walt Disney Studios past $1 billion for 2018 after just 52 days. Disney has grossed more than $5 billion worldwide for the past three years in a row, and is expected to do the same with a 2018 slate that includes “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and “The Incredibles 2.”
“Black Panther” is expected to easily hold on to the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend, with a weekend total of more than $100 million considered to be very likely by box office analysts. A result above that mark will make “Black Panther”‘s domestic total greater than all of Marvel Studios’ 2017 releases, with the film expected to make at least $600 million by the end of its theatrical run in North America. If the film hits $1 billion globally in less than 19 days, it will have done so faster than any other superhero movie in box office history.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Can 'Game Night,' 'Annihilation' Find Path Around 'Black Panther' Box Office Behemoth?
Will 'Black Panther' Finally Open Hollywood's Floodgates for More Diverse Studio Movies?
'Black Panther' Will Hit $1 Billion at the Box Office – The Only Question Is When
