For the sake of journalistic integrity, I will continue to be up-front about my personal stances. I am hugely biased about Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, and there is very little that can be done to convince me that it will not be the best thing since Beyoncé secretly dropped her self-titled album with nary a warning.
Now that that’s out of the way: According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie is on track for a $100 million-to-$120 million debut in the U.S. box office when it hits theaters Feb. 16, the beginning of a long weekend (if you get Presidents Day off, that is).
The star-riddled blockbuster (featuring ALL the faves, including Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett and so many more) will beat out Marvel’s Doctor Strange, which hit $85 million during its three-day opening weekend, if the tracking is accurate. Securing those numbers will also put the film on track for the biggest opening of 2018 to date.
Now, I know—I know the dangers of overhyping a movie and expecting too much, but I cannot stress this enough: I am READY for Black Panther to obliterate everything that has ever been created.
With all the challenges going on to help kids see the movie and just the significance of having a black superhero on the big screen? With the fact that advance ticket sales are already making an impact? I really expect nothing else.
You can find me in the comments section if you want to duke it out discuss.