Age of The Nerd
Black Panther has set the box office on fire opening with a whopping $201.7 million, and a total of $235 over the course of the four-day holiday weekend. This marks the fifth highest opening weekend of all-time, and the best February box office weekend by far. For comparison on just how impressive Black Panther‘s opening weekend was, check out the top-ten all-time opening weekends.
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens – $247,966,675
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi – $220,009,584
- Jurassic World – $208,806,270
- Marvel’s The Avengers – $207,438,708
- Black Panther – $201,797,000
- Avengers: Age of Ultron – $191,271,109
- Captain America: Civil War – $179,139,142
- Beauty and the Beast – $174,750,616
- Iron Man 3 – $174,144,585
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – $169,189,427
Adding to its record setting domestic total, the film earned an additional $169 mil in foreign markets, making its three-day total just over $361 mil. Black Panther opened bigger than almost every other Marvel movie, besides 2012’s The Avengers which was the first film to feature multiple heroes on screen. The Avengers $207 million opening weekend seemed untouchable for Marvel films that were to follow, but Black Panther came admirably close.
It’s surprising that folks are surprised by the success the film has reached both critically and commercially. Who would have thought – audiences want to see a diverse representation of characters on screen. Whether that’s heroes of color or female superheroes, people want to see more than just a white dude saving the day. I hope Hollywood doesn’t exploit this to simply make more money. Black Panther is a quality film, with unique sets, costumes, characters, and themes. It’s a good movie directed by a good director. All the pieces were in place for success, and it’s great to see them come together for a comic book movie that is MUCH more than just simply a comic book movie.
Peter Rabbit came in second with an estimated $17.2 million ($48 million domestic total). Last weeks top earner Fifty Shades Freed dropped to number three with $16.9 million ($76 million domestic total). Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle added another $7.9 million to its gargantuan $377 million domestic box office total. Rounding out the top five weekend box office is The 15:17 to Paris with $7.6 million ($25 million domestic total).
Here’s the top-five weekend box office estimates:
| Title | Weekend Domestic | Domestic Total |
| 1. ‘Black Panther’ | $201,797,000 | $235,000,000 |
| 2. ’Peter Rabbit’ | $17,250,000 | $48,222,542 |
| 3. ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ | $16,940,000 | $76,134,455 |
| 4. ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ | $7,945,000 | $377,623,565 |
| 5. ‘The 15:17 to Paris’ | $7,685,000 | $25,432,717 |
