‘Black Panther’ Has The Biggest Monday In Box Office History With $40.2 Million

Marvel’s Black Panther stepped into the spotlight in a huge way this past weekend, with an opening that smashed even the most optimistic box office predictions. The historic superhero film had the best Monday performance in box office history with a staggering $40.2 million on President’s Day, breaking a record previously held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($40.1 million).

The record-breaking Monday helped Black Panther earn the second-highest four-day gross in domestic box office history with $242 million, behind the $288.1 million grossed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. This also puts the Marvel film above the $241.6 million four-day opening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a fellow Disney property.

Early estimates had Black Panther‘s three-day weekend falling short of fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe entries Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, but the film easily smashed those expectations. Black Panther‘s $201.8 million haul over the three-day period was the second-highest opening weekend for a comic book film. Marvel’s The Avengers still holds the top spot with $207.4 million.

What do you think of Marvel’s Black Panther now holding the record for the best Monday in box office history? Let us know down in the comments section below!

The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, John Kani as T’Chaka, Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, and Winston Duke as M’Baku. Here’s the synopsis:

After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and as Black Panther — gets tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.

Black Panther is now playing in theaters.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter