'Wakanda Forever' notches up USD 84 million on opening day in North America

LOS ANGELES: In a post-pandemic world, superhero movies seem to be the sole cinematic pieces that can pull the audience to theatres. Marvel's 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' pretty much reaffirms this as it's reigning over the North American box office.

The superhero sequel earned USD 84 million from 4,396 locations on its opening day, reports Variety. Those figures includes USD 28 million in Thursday previews, which marked the 15th-highest preview gross in history and bested the first 'Black Panther' movie's figure by USD 3 million.

It is also the second biggest opening day of the year, behind the USD 90.4 million earned by fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe entry 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'.

According to Variety, estimates heading into the weekend suggested 'Wakanda Forever' could net a gross between USD 185 million and USD 200 million in its opening, though some competitors are now projecting that the film will fall shy of that range.

'Doctor Strange 2' has remained the biggest opening weekend of the year since it debuted with USD 187 million in May. Whether the 'Black Panther' sequel can surpass it by Monday, Marvel is once again in competition with itself for box office superlatives.

Variety further states that the arrival of the 'Black Panther' sequel represents a box office surge for a theatrical landscape that has been largely bereft of high-profile releases since the summer.

To put things in perspective, 'Wakanda Forever' will be the first movie since July's 'Thor: Love and Thunder' to open above USD 100 million.

Even further, although the Warner Bros. release 'Black Adam' has drawn a substantial audience in recent weeks, 'Wakanda Forever' looks to outgross the DC entry within its first three days of release. That's how big a splash the film is making.