'Black Panther' Box Office Takes 41% of All US Movie Tickets Sold in 2018

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Published: March 11, 2018 8:23 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 2:33 am

Going into its fourth weekend of wide release, Marvel’s “Black Panther” topped $530 million in domestic ticket sales. All of the 109 movies on Box Office Mojo’s chart of 2018 releases have sold $1.28 billion to date. The film has commanded 4 of every 10 tickets sold in 2018.

Buena Vista Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), is expected to rake in another $41 million this weekend, pushing its total domestic box office to more than $570 million. That would be enough to push the film from ninth place all-time for domestic sales to seventh place, ahead of “The Dark Knight” and about $50 million behind last year’s Disney blockbuster, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

Buena Vista is also behind this weekend’s projected number 2 movie, “A Wrinkle in Time” which is expected to garner some $34 million in U.S. ticket sales.

Over the past 10 years, Disney has had the top grossing film in 7, including 2016’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” that hauled in $936.7 million in total ticket sales and 2012’s “Marvel’s The Avengers,” second with $623.4 million. After these two comes “The Last Jedi” with $619.3 million and fourth is “Black Panther.”

Worldwide box office totaled $950 million for the first three weeks of release and this weekend’s release in China is expected to push that total to more than $1 billion. Domestic ticket sales account for 56% of the 3-week total while international box office accounted for 44% of sales.

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When “Black Panther” tops $1 billion in box office it will move up the worldwide all-time sales ladder from 41st to 33rd, just behind “The Dark Knight” which scored $1.004 billion. The latest installment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be the 5th billion-dollar movie in that series and the 16th Disney movie ever to reach that level. Assuming “Black Panther” holds onto the top spot this weekend, it will be the only February release ever to be the top dog for four weeks in a row.

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