Disney's 'Black Panther' grosses $1 billion globally
Disney’s megahit “Black Panther” has passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
The studio said Saturday that the milestone is based on Disney’s estimate of ticket sales. The announcement comes on the 26th day of release for the blockbuster. The movie is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan.
Disney notes that “Black Panther” is the fifth film in its Marvel universe to reach the milestone. The others are “The Avengers,” ”Avengers: Age of Ultron,” ”Iron Man 3,” and “Captain America: Civil War.”
The film has made $521 million domestically, becoming the No. 2 superhero release of all time, surpassing “The Dark Knight.”
Variety also reports that the film has opened solidly in China with $66.5 million in its first three days.
The opening weekend made China the largest international territory for “ Black Panther ,” as it leaped past the U.K. at $55.8 million, South Korea at $42.8 million and Brazil at $29.6 million. “Black Panther” is also the first major Hollywood title to release since Chinese New Year in February and the end of the unofficial blackout period during which local films are given distribution priority.
“Black Panther” took in 53% market share in China and represented the fourth highest opening of a Marvel Cinematic Universe title. It launched 16% ahead of Disney-Marvel's “Thor: Ragnarok” and is the biggest opening of a Western title in China in 2018 to date.
China is the final foreign market for the superhero tentpole, which has generated $517 million internationally — passing “Captain America: Winter Soldier” ($454 million), “The Dark Knight” ($470 million), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” ($474 million), “The Amazing Spider-Man” ($496 million), “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” ($506 million) and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” ($514 million).
With $562 million domestically, “Black Panther” has a worldwide box office total of $1.078 billion. It became the 33rd film to cross the $1 billion worldwide mark on Saturday and currently ranks 21st on the all-time list, about $6 million behind “The Dark Knight.” It trails “Transformers: Age of Extinction” by $26 million for 19th place.
Credit: AP/ Variety