Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is tracking for a massive $165 million opening weekend, THR reports.
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Early projections made late last month pegged the blockbuster for an opening between $100 million and $120 million.
That number was upped to $150 million earlier this month, helped along by rave reviews from its Hollywood premiere January 29.
Fandango reported the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment had outpaced all superhero movies in advanced ticket sales, eclipsing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The numbers for the four-day Presidents Day weekend, provided by lead Hollywood tracking service NRG, will give Black Panther the biggest February launch of all time.
Fox’s R-rated Marvel adaptation Deadpool, released in February 2016, is the current biggest February opening at $132.4 million.
A $165 million opening would give the Ryan Cooler-directed film one of the top five or six biggest openings for a superhero film, not accounting for inflation.
Four of those six biggest domestic openings are held by Disney-owned Marvel Studios, lead by 2012’s The Avengers with $207.4 million, followed by 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron ($191.3 million), 2016’s Captain America: Civil War ($179.1 million), and 2013’s Iron Man 3 ($174.1 million).
In fifth and six place are Warner Bros.’ 2016 Batman v Superman ($166 million) and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises ($160.9 million).
Marvel Studios’ own Thor: Ragnarok, released in November, opened to $122.7 million, preceded by Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s $117 million and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s $146 million last summer.
Black Panther is officially certified fresh on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, where it boasts 97% with 98 reviews counted — making it the highest-rated Marvel Studios production, placing it just above Iron Man (94%), The Avengers (92%), Thor: Ragnarok (92%) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (92%).
That percentage could drop closer to release, but Black Panther would still be among the best-received superhero movies.
Black Panther is the first Marvel Studios movie to feature a Black lead, and the production has been praised for its inclusiveness and diversity: its nearly all-Black cast boasts fresh stars Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Lupita Nyong’o, all receiving rave reviews for their additions to the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Its impressive cast includes Sterling K. Brown (This is Us), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Andy Serkis (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit), Forest Whitaker (Rogue One) and Angela Bassett (Mission: Impossible — Fallout).
Black Panther opens February 16.
