Black Panther Has Made More in Its First Week Than Any Other MCU Film

In news that will likely surprise no one, whether you’ve seen Black Panther or not, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to absolutely dominate the box office.

Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed film has been breaking records all over the place, and the latest is particularly impressive: Per THR, Black Panther has scored the best first week of any film in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a seven-day domestic gross of $292 million. That total—expected to blow by the $300 million mark sometime this Friday afternoon—comfortably surpasses that of 2012 Marvel team-up blockbuster The Avengers, which earned a mere $280 million in its first week.

Black Panther’s first-week box-office total is the fourth-best of all time, for any film.

It has grossed a whopping $520.1 million worldwide, and industry insiders cited by Deadline say the film may very well hit the $1 billion (!) mark by the time its theatrical run is over. That report also notes that, in surpassing $300 million in Stateside gross today, Black Panther will have reached that total faster than any previous MCU film. By hitting that mark in just eight days, the film will top The Avengers again, which took nine to make that amount.

Money talks, but all this success wouldn’t mean as much if Black Panther weren’t such an extraordinary film, as well as an immense cultural landmark. Coogler’s work—and the work of Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya and so many more—is the first MCU movie to feel utterly unlike an MCU movie, more so a work of art than entertainment, though it is unquestionably effective as both.

We’ll continue to keep you updated as Black Panther continues to break records. In the meantime, read our review of the film here, see where it landed on our ranking of all the MCU movies and most importantly, go see the damn thing, whether it’s your first time or your fifth.