Outperforming expectations, Disney’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever topped the domestic box office for the fourth weekend in a row. The film added an estimated $17.6 million this weekend, pushing its running domestic total to nearly $394 million. It should pass the $400 million mark sometime next week, and should overtake fellow Marvel sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ lifetime domestic haul of $411 million by next weekend.
Most studios chose to sit out the weekend, perhaps in anticipation of Avatar: The Way of Water in less than a fortnight. But Universal cleverly slotted the action comedy Violent Night between the two Disney behemoths, and was rewarded for its gamble. The film is expected to claim the number two spot with $13.3 million in its debut weekend, and should do just fine over the holiday period as it provides counter-programming for audiences tired of epic big-screen spectacles.
The film was expected to make around $10 million heading into its first weekend. Directed by Tommy Wirkola and starring David Harbour as a Viking-inspired Santa Claus, the Christmas-themed film has also topped $20 million globally.
Speaking of global hauls, Wakanda Forever topped $700 million at the worldwide box office this weekend, and should overtake Thor: Love and Thunder’s $760 million lifetime haul by next weekend. That would essentially be its last chance to rake in as much money as it can, before The Way of Water eats into its audience on December 16. While overtaking Doctor Strange 2’s lifetime global haul of $955 million is still a maybe, Wakanda Forever is not going to come close to touching the first Black Panther film’s $700 million domestic and $1.3 billion global tally.
The number three spot was taken by Disney’s latest animated release Strange World, which failed to bounce back after a disastrous opening weekend. The film is estimated to have made $4.9 million in its second weekend, pushing its running domestic total to $25 million. Produced on a reported budget of $180 million, the film is expected to lose Disney over $100 million. There’s no kind way of saying this, but it’s one of the biggest flops in years.
The fourth and fifth spots were claimed by Searchlight’s The Menu and Sony’s Devotion. A dark comedy directed by Succession’s Mark Mylod, The Menu is expected to make $3.6 million in its third weekend of release, pushing its running domestic total to nearly $25 million. The film, about a group of wealthy individuals who get more than what they bargained for at an exclusive haute cuisine establishment, has made nearly $50 million globally against a reported $30 million budget. The Korean War film Devotion, on the other hand, is flopping with just $2.8 million in its second weekend, and less than $14 million domestically against a reported budget of $90 million.
Overall business this weekend was quite dismal, with just $56 million in revenue. Even Paramount’s re-release of the year’s biggest film, Top Gun: Maverick, couldn’t crack the top 10. Maverick finished at the 11th spot with $700,000 from over 1,800 theaters this weekend, pushing its domestic total to over $717 million.
You can watch our interview with Violent Night star Harbour here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
