When it comes to superhero movies,Black Adamhas been dominant at the box officefor three weeks now, but that is set to come to a spectacular end this week asBlack Panther: Wakanda Forevershows its claws with a massive projected opening weekend haul of $365million worldwide. Put that in context, if the predictions hold true, this would not only giveBlack Panther; Wakanda Foreverthe third-highest debut of the last two years, but will also be virtually equal to the amountBlack Adamhas taken in its entire run so far.
Marvel’s dominance at the box office has never shown any signs of slowing down, even during the early part of the Covid pandemic, and with some of its Phase Four movies not receiving the greatest reviews.Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill be the final movie before Marvel’s Multiverse storyline kicks into gear in Phase Five, and it everything seems to be in place for a fitting end to Marvel’s mourning period.
Kevin Feige previous explained that the underlying theme of the MCU’s Phase Fourwas to see the characters reflecting and coming to terms with the losses suffered duringAvengers: Endgame, and there is nowhere that loss is being felt more than in Wakanda for reasons no one expected whenBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwent into production. While the movie was original set to deal withChadwick Boseman’s T’Challacoming to terms with his “lost” five years during the Blip, the shock death of Boseman in 2020 changed the entire purpose of the film.
Related:Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Director Reveals Original Storyline Dealing With T’Challa’s Endgame Struggle
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Is Chadwick Boseman’s Marvel Legacy
The story of T’Challa had only just begun in the MCU, but the real life passing of Chadwick Boseman brought it to a premature end. NowBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill continue his legacy, and as many of the cast and production team have stated, the film will stand asa “love letter” to the late star. One person who has discussed how Boseman’s influence was carried into the sequel is director Ryan Coogler, who recently said:
“It’s complicated, it’s complicated, you know? What I will say is Chadwick was all about – he was all about pushing things forward while being aware of what took place behind him. So that’s why I was trying to channel him, you know what I mean? In terms of going through this process. Understanding that we have to keep moving forward, you know, even though we lost him in a physical sense, you know what I’m saying? He was a giant man. A giant of a man, you know, like the screen couldn’t contain him. Like to watch his movies is to only know a piece of him, you know what I mean? And we felt so fortunate to know the whole guy, and we try and honor him on this one.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverarrives in cinemas on November 11 to close off Phase Four of the MCU.
