Three weekends into its run, Black Panther has already become one of the highest grossing films of all time. The movie’s record-breaking began with the biggest ever opening weekend for a black director, smashing expectations on its way to $242 million over the four-day holiday weekend. It is the top-grossing film ever with a predominantly black cast, making $501.1 million in 17 days. It’s the third fastest film to cross the $500 million domestic box office mark, behind Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The film currently sits at ninth on the all-time domestic gross list:
Top 10 All-Time Domestic Gross (Not Adjusted for Inflation)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens — $936,662,225
- Avatar — $760,507,625
- Titanic — $659,363,944
- Jurassic World — $652,270,625 2015
- Marvel’s The Avengers — $623,357,910
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi — $619,116,325
- The Dark Knight — $534,858,444
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — $532,177,324
- Black Panther — $506,427,710
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) — $504,014,165
Black Panther was #1 in theaters again, taking home $65.7 million in its third weekend. It has become just the third entry from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to top the box office for three straight weeks, joining Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers.
There has long been an assumption in Hollywood that movies featuring mostly black casts do not fare well internationally. Black Panther has shattered this misconception by doing 44% of its business overseas and already pulling in over $400 million. This total does not include China, one of the largest international markets, where the movie will open next weekend. It’s worldwide gross currently sits at $909,827,710 and the film is on its way to passing $1 billion in total gross in the very near future.