Marvel’s Black Panther has dominated the global box office since it opened, hitting over US$700 million in box office revenue in just 10 days. As it continues to dominate in its second weekend in theatres around the world, Singapore has also joined in the chorus, as the film is smashing records locally as well.
The eighteenth installment in the highly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe opened with S$3,140,319 in the local box office, securing itself as the film with the biggest opening weekend (Thurs – Sun) for 2018, as well as the biggest opening weekend for February movies of all time, ahead of Ah Boys To Men 3 and Deadpool.
That number is actually higher, as the movie opened here on Wednesday, but opening weekend figures are tabulated from Thursday to Sunday.
Starring Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther, the king of technologically advanced African nation, Wakanda, the film, directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed), also stars Lupita Nyong’o, Forest Whitaker and Michael B. Jordan. The character of Black Panther first appeared on the big screen in Captain America: Civil War, and will play a role in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.
In the grand scheme of performance of MCU movies here, Black Panther scored the seventh biggest opening weekend of all MCU openings, coming in behind Spider-Man: Homecoming (S$3.2 million), but ahead of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (S$3 million).
It is also Disney Studios’ seventh biggest opening weekend in Singapore, behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That’s pretty impressive for what is essentially an origins movie.
This means that locally, Black Panther is also the best performing movie starring a black lead and directed by a black director. It is also the best performing movie starring a predominantly black cast, beating out hits from the past that include Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys, and Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor.
It also trumps the local box office of movies starring black actors in the lead, and directed by black directors, including The Equaliser, (Denzel Washington, dir: Antoine Fuqua), which took in US$977,650 at the local box office.
The opening weekend figures has also bested the total local performance of hit movies with black actors as leads, such as all three Blade movies, Blade (US$415,671), Blade 2 (US$444,115), Blade Trinity (US$500,844), The Pursuit of Happyness (US$535,685), I Am Legend (US$2,209,266), American Gangster (US$495,794), The Taking Of Pelham 123 (US$609,252), I,Robot (US$1,216,660).
With such an opening performance, it also looks set to pulverise the local Will Smith-set figures of Independence Day (US$3,385,697) and Men In Black 3 (US$4,231,573).
Black Panther also beats the combined local box office figures of award winning and critically lauded movies with black casts and directors, including 12 Years A Slave (US$257,123), Straight Outta Compton (US$37,674), Moonlight (US$53,148), Django Unchained (US$410,216) and Dreamgirls (US$250,490).
The movie also continues the trend of hit movies based on comic books, which has dominated the local box office landscape in recent years.
Wakanda Forever!
* Historical Singapore box office figures were obtained from Box Office Mojo.
Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?
Natalie
Trinity Sun
