Marvel Studios' Black Panther movie is setting a record for superhero films, when it comes to tickets pre-sales. The swell of excitement for the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is almost impossible to miss at this point. The introduction of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) in Captain America: Civil War instantly left an impression on audiences. This was great news for Marvel Studios, as they had already announced the character would get a solo movie less than two years after his long awaited MCU debut.
Boseman's scene-stealing turn in Civil War left audiences excited to see more of his character, and that interest has only grown over the time since then. With Creed's Ryan Coogler directing and a supporting cast that includes Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o, Forest Whitaker, and Angela Bassett, it's not surprise that Black Panther has gone over so well during its marketing. Now, following on the heels of the film's world premiere, Black Panther's pre-ticket sales continue to break records.
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Fandango's Erik Davis revealed today that Black Panther is now the king of pre-ticket sales. With two weeks left before it hits theaters, Black Panther is outpacing every other superhero movie ever made in ticket pre-sales. It was previously announced that it was Marvel Studios' best after topping Civil War, but Black Panther has now overtaken the former superhero movie champ in this category, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
This latest record is just another indication that Black Panther is poised to be the first major hit of 2018. Topping Civil War and Batman V Superman's pre-sales is no small feat, as both films had incredible build up behind them. Considering that both Civil War and Batman V Superman topped $160 million during their opening weekends at the domestic box office, it's quite possible that Black Panther will soar to similar commercial heights.
Early tracking for Black Panther called for a $90M opening, which many believed to be far too low. Updated tracking had the film opening to a healthy $120M in its first three days. Those figures were later increased too $150M over the four day weekend, suggesting that Black Panther could break Deadpool's record February opening. New tracking figures are sure to come in in the next two weeks, and may well climb even higher.
There's little doubt now that Black Panther will be the biggest solo MCU movie launch ever, and could very well challenge all non-Avengers films in the process. The first wave of reviews only stand to benefit the film in that respect, assuming they're as enthusiastic as the early social media reactions were.
MORE: Black Panther Doesn't Directly Set Up Avengers: Infinity War
Source: Erik Davis
