'Black Panther' Just Beat Another 'Avengers' Box Office Record

Black Panther is performing better than anyone could've imagined, as it continues to shatter the box office (and stigmas) in its first week of release. We just reported on the film passing Justice League's entire domestic run on Monday; and how the it just scored the biggest Tuesday ever for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Today (Wednesday), that trend continues, as Black Panther has once again surpassed Avengers to set another MCU record:

BLACK PANTHER continues to impress, scoring $14.5M yesterday--the best Wednesday on record for a MCU film topping AVENGERS w/ $13.6M. Worldwide gross is now $491M. Will pass $500M today, its 9th day of release.

— Exhibitor Relations (@ERCboxoffice) February 22, 2018

The Avengers was a milestone event film release, which set a new standard for blockbuster movies as a billion-dollar club, while also establishing Marvel Studios as a major power player in the industry. Black Panther is proving to be an equally big cultural event, following Wonder Woman in a demonstration of just how thirsty audiences are for greater diversity in their superhero (and overall blockbuster) movie experiences.

A year ago, the notion of a not only black, but African superhero who is surrounded almost exclusively by strong female supporting characters might've seemed like a lon-shot in Hollywood; now hashtags like #BlackExcellence and #BlackGirlMagic are proving their own golden standards to the industry. With Black Panther grossing more than half-a-billion-dollars in just one week, it will easily become the new solo film debut to beat, while continuing to wrack up major records. So stay tuned for more of that breakdown.

For instance: by the time this second weekend is over, Black Panther may surpass Justice League's entire worldwide box office run! If you're still having a MCU vs DCEU debate, just stop. There's a clear frontrunner in this game.

Just how much money will Black Panther make overall? Let us know your projections in the comments section!

Black Panther is now in theaters. It will be followed by Avengers: Infinity War on May 4th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.