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Wakanda Forever Black Panther 2 Leads in Box Office Takes
The second weekend of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever grossed $66 million, or 64% less than its projected $70 million. That does not necessarily cause concern, as sources tell me the film’s running time is slowing it down.
On the bright side, it’s Thanksgiving week, and if people don’t see it this weekend, they’ll see it this week.
Furthermore, with the Veterans Day holiday and previews a week ago, there was always going to be a steep drop in the Friday-to-Friday, with that number being -79% for $17.9M Friday.
Even though Wakanda Forever’s running total of $286.7 million on Sunday will be 2% lower than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at the same time, let’s see where the Ryan Coogler-directed film stands by the end of next Sunday.
The Marvel Studios and Disney tentpole had hoped to gross at least $70 million in its second outing, but it has fallen by 63 percent.
It’s not uncommon for a Marvel film to drop more than 60% in its second weekend, though the first Black Panther, which opened to $202 million, dropped less than 55%.
According to Comscore, the last two Marvel films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, experienced 67 percent declines.
Last weekend, Wakanda Forever set a November record with $181 million in North America.
It was also 2022’s second-largest box office debut, trailing only Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($187.4 million).
In other news, a special screening of the faith-based series The Chosen, which chronicles the life of Jesus, is causing quite a stir. After grossing $3.4 million on Friday, Fathom Events, which is showing the first two episodes of season three in over 2,000 theatres, is projecting a $10 million-plus weekend for a second-place finish after grossing $3.4 million on Friday. Angel Studios produces The Chosen, which is available on platforms such as Prime Video and Peacock, as well as through its own app.
The Chosen outperformed the new epicurean horror-comedy The Menu, which will be released in 3,211 theatres, the most in Searchlight’s history. The Menu, starring Ralph Fiennes, Anna Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult, is expected to make a respectable $9 million in its first weekend after grossing around $3.6 million on Friday.
Universal’s She Said, which chronicles the work of New York Times investigative reporters Jodi Cantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) in helping to expose Harvey Weinstein and give rise to the #MeToo movement, is the new film vying for attention.
She Said is the latest adult drama to struggle at the box office, and it is expected to earn only $2.2 million in its first weekend after earning around $830,000 on Friday. That would be one of the worst openings for a major studio release in more than 2,000 locations in recent memory, excluding the pandemic.
Universal believes it was important to make the film and hopes that strong word of mouth will lead to audiences discovering She Said throughout the holidays. The film has received positive reviews from critics and an A CinemaScore from moviegoers. Half of Friday ticket buyers were 45 and older, with 29 percent over 55.
In comparison, 65% of The Menu’s audience was between 17 and 34. (The Searchlight movie received a B CinemaScore.)
Bones and All will be released in five theatres for a projected screen average of nearly $28,000 at the specialty box office. Estimates will be updated on Sunday.
