Buoyed by the phenomenal success of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever from Marvel Studios, the Walt Disney Studios has officially crossed the threshold of $3 billion at the global box office for the year 2022. This is the 14th time the company has managed to achieve or surpass this milestone, and additionally, has already surpassed last year’s total gross of $2.9 billion.
This is down in no small part to the success of Marvel Studios. Their films have contributed a vast amount to Disney’s turnover since their acquisition of Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009. This year, the studio’s films that have contributed to the box office haul include Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($955 million), Thor: Love and Thunder ($761 million), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($381 million to date).
Since releasing this weekend, Wakanda Forever has generated $205 million domestically and $176 million internationally. The movie, directed by Ryan Coogler, set a new November record domestically and was the 5th highest grossing international opening for any film released during the post-pandemic era. It also had the 2nd biggest opening of 2022, and the film’s emotional appeal is expected to give it legs.
Disney looks set to fill its own Scrooge McDuck-style vault of gold with even more Disney Dollars by the end of the year, with four more anticipated films yet to be released. From Searchlight Pictures, they have The Menu, which launches this weekend and stars Anya Taylor Joy, Nicholas Hoult and Ralph Fiennes. It has been given the widest release ever for Searchlight at 3,100 theaters. Estimations put its initial earnings at $8 million, with a more profitable run expected. Searchlight is also releasing Empire of Light from director Sam Mendes which is due for release on December 9.
Disney also has their latest animation, Strange World coming next weekend (November 23), which is aimed at a younger audience than their other project yet to be released. The film features the voices of Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu and is based around a legendary family of explorers who journey to a mysterious planet. However, the jewel in the Disney crown for 2022 (and maybe into 2023) will surely be 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way of Water.
The sequel to 2009’s Avatar, the most successful film of all time, releases on December 16. The highly-anticipated film, directed by James Cameron, sees audiences return to Pandora alongside returning stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang. Disney is throwing their full weight behind this film, as seen by an intense marketing campaign just beginning. The film is also bolstered by heavy presence in their theme parks, particularly in Florida, where the Animal Kingdom park has its own Pandora world where guests can fly on a Banshee, and journey down a river with the Na’vi, the native population.
Considering Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still new at the theaters, it will be interesting to see how the film performs for Disney by the end of its run. Until then, check out the trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever below:
