Black Panther has ascended to the box-office throne.
Black Panther has become the highest-grossing superhero film in the United States till date. The Chadwick Boseman and Michael B Jordan starrer wrested the crown for the highest earning film in domestic markets from 2012’s The Avengers. Black Panther has earned 630.9 million dollars till Sunday and thus overtook The Avengers’ 623.4 million dollars mark. The Ryan Coogler superhero film is still very much in theatres and may overtake 2015’s Jurassic World that accumulated 652.3 million dollars.
Released on February 16, Black Panther follows the story of Wakandan king T’Challa who returns to his homeland after the events of Captain America: Civil War. He ascends to the throne but is challenged by Michael B Jordan’s Killmonger. The film earned praise for its progressive values, mostly black cast, sympathetic portrayal of African cultures, and performances. On Rotten Tomatoes, Black Panther holds a 97% rating – most for any superhero movie.
The consensus of Tomatometer reads, “Black Panther elevates superhero cinema to thrilling new heights while telling one of the MCU’s most absorbing stories — and introducing some of its most fully realized characters.”
It is incredible that a standalone film has beaten the first ever live-action team-up film in the history of superhero movies. Black Panther, however, is still behind The Avengers and its sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron in worldwide earnings. It stands at 1.23 billion dollars globally, while The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron earned 1.51 billion dollars and 1.40 billion dollars respectively. Now Black Panther is behind only four films – Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avatar, Titanic, and Jurassic World.