Marvel’s King of Wakanda is currently reigning supreme.
Coming out of its historic four-day opening weekend in North America, Black Panther‘s domestic haul now sits at an incredible $235 million for a worldwide cume of $404 million. And things are just getting started.
Buoyed by stellar reviews, not to mention the pent-up demand for a superhero movie with a predominantly African-American cast, there’s a good chance Black Panther could break $1 billion in the next week or so, by which point it’ll enter box office royalty. Only four MCU movies have entered Hollywood’s exclusive billion-dollar club – namely Civil War ($1.15 billion), Iron Man 3 ($1.21 billion), Age of Ultron ($1.405 billion) and Joss Whedon’s The Avengers ($1.51 billion) – so we’re fascinated to watch T’Challa’s journey unfold.
Speaking of which, as some newly-unveiled concepts from Marvel’s Black Panther: The Art of the Movie reveals, Chadwick Boseman’s regal protector almost featured a slightly different super-suit.
As you can see, T’Challa’s upgraded armor was almost tinted with red and light blue, before Ryan Coogler and the team ultimately settled with a neon purple – fitting, really, given its connotations of power and authority.
It’s by no means the only Black Panther concept art kicking around online, as earlier today we brought you a peek of Shuri (Letitia Wright) dressed in her brother’s battle gear. If nothing else, it was an exciting tease of the character’s future, given Wright’s whip-smart scientist has been confirmed for Avengers: Infinity War (and a spinoff movie of her own, perhaps?). We’ve heard the Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will herald a notable uptick in female-fronted movies, beginning with the long-anticipated Black Widow, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
Either way, we’ll be bringing you all the latest as Black Panther‘s reign continues.
