Namor (and others) strike at a seemingly weakened Wakanda in this dramatic trailer for the next ‘Black Panther’ film.
Yes, this new trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever looks spectacular. It’s more conventional in structure (and exposition) than the jaw-dropping teaser, but that’s how this works. It lays out the plot (those T’Challa left behind face off against Namor while the outside world schemes against the potentially vulnerable Wakanda). It gives plenty of screentime to Tenoch Huerta’s marquee baddie. His ocean master wreaking havoc on the surface world (yes, these comic book plots can’t help but blend) joins Disney’s tradition of thirst-quenching villains. The overall palate seems like an angry rebuttal to accusations that recent MCU movies have become visually drab. I’m curious to what extent it will play in the whole ‘grimmer, darker sequel that challenges the simplistic morality of its crowdpleasing predecessor’ box since the first Black Panther flirted with that narrative.
As for how it will perform, it’s just a question of whether it earns ‘all the money’ or must settle for ‘the vast majority of the money.’ If it merely plays like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (-37% domestic but -28% worldwide), it’ll still gross $441 million domestic and (minus China, presumably) $950 million worldwide. That feels like the realistic worst-case-scenario, and quite a few sequels to well-liked predecessors (Star Trek Into Darkness, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Avengers: Age of Ultron, etc.) gross less domestically but more overseas for relatively over/under global totals compared to the respective first flick. Absent Covid, this would have happened with Wonder Woman 1984, which is why I continue to argue that it shouldn’t be counted as a strike against DC Films.
