The movie is expected to break box office records this weekend
LOS ANGELES — All the buzz for » Black Panther » has put the Marvel film on track to break records this weekend at the North American box office. The Walt Disney Co. estimates Friday that the superhero movie earned $25.2 million from its Thursday preview screenings. It’s the second biggest for a Marvel Studios film behind « Avengers: Age of Ultron, » which earned $27.6 million in previews, and the best for the month of February.
Preview screenings typically begin with 7 p.m. Thursday showings.
« Black Panther » is now pacing to earn over $165 million across the four-day holiday weekend, and surpass the previous February record held by « Deadpool » which took in $152.2 million in 2016.
Internationally, the film has grossed $47 million in its first three days with strong showings in the U. K. and Korea.
It’s not the first record « Black Panther » has broken. In addition to boasting a primarily black cast, the film also scored 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — the highest rating ever for a Marvel or DC film. It might even end up beating the highest rating for a superhero movie on Rotten Tomatoes ever, as « The Incredibles » also has a 97 percent rating. Ratings frequently move a few percentage points as more reviews come in.
« Black Panther » fans took to social media to share photos of themselves at the early showings of the film, wearing African clothes to celebrate the movie.
