Disney and Marvel Studios’ Black Panther set a box office record this weekend: It’s the biggest February debut ever.
Black Panther made $201.7 million through Sunday in North America, according to Disney’s latest estimates. (The film premiered Friday, Feb. 16, although the figures also include Thursday night screenings.) The success makes Black Panther the fifth-largest movie opening of all time, just behind other Disney properties like The Avengers, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Black Panther’s debut also beat out 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool for the biggest opening in February. Deadpool pulled in $132 million domestically when it debuted in 2016. Disney is expecting Black Panther to generate around $235 million domestically over the four-day weekend including Presidents Day. Deadpool’s four-day total was $152.2 million.
The film isn’t just a box office success — it’s also a hit with critics. The film is sitting at a 97 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience rating of 77 percent. We said in our review that Black Panther was more than just a triumph for the superhero genre, adding that it’s a “joyous celebration of African culture.”
Update: The $192 million domestic box office figure also includes Thursday night screenings, from which Black Panther pulled in $25.2 million. We’ve edited the article to clarify this.
Update 2: Box Office Mojo reports that Disney has readjusted its estimates for Black Panther’s opening weekend. The site reports that Black Panther earned an “estimated $201.7 million over the three-day and is expected to surpass $235 million for the four-day weekend.” We’ve edited the article to reflect this update.
Update 3 (Feb. 20): Black Panther pulled in $242 million over the four-day weekend in North America, according to updated estimates reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The new figure surpasses Disney’s previous revised estimate of $235 million. It also gives Black Panther the second-highest domestic box office total in the first four days of a film’s release, topping Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($241.6 million) and coming in behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($288.1 million).
Either way, it’s great for Disney. Bob Iger, the company’s CEO and chairman, tweeted about the film and its success last night:
The world has embraced Black Panther, which has obliterated expectations, broken records & shattered myths. Powerful storytelling that
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) February 20, 2018
touches hearts, bridges cultures, opens minds. Grateful to @Marvelstudios, #RyanCoogler & the cast and crew. #BlackPanther #WakandaForever
Correction: Black Panther made $169 million outside the U.S. in its opening weekend, not $361 million — that figure refers to the film’s total global box office revenue so far. We’ve edited the article to reflect this.