The global cinema industry is still struggling with the consequences of the pandemic. With a few exceptions, such as the superhit “Top Gun: Maverick”, the earnings for many strips fell short of expectations. The forecasts published according to “The Hollywood Reporter” for the “Black Panther” sequel “Wakanda Forever” appear all the more courageous – almost three weeks before the cinema release. According to the report, it is believed within the industry that the Marvel film will gross at least $175 million in its opening weekend alone in the United States.
Until the release, it is even possible that this forecast will get even closer to the $200 million mark. Then the sequel could even surpass the milestone of its 2018 predecessor, which brought in an incredible $ 202 million at the US start and ended up at $ 1.34 billion worldwide. For the time since the corona pandemic, this would be an all the more remarkable success.
The sequel to “Black Panther” could lure many people to the cinema for the most tragic reason. Actor Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020), who played the titular superhero in the solo film and the “Avengers” flick, died of cancer in 2020 at the age of just 43. However, MCU boss Kevin Feige (49) had already announced in advance of the sequel that this role would not be filled in honor of Boseman. So the exciting questions for fans are how Boseman’s legacy will be dealt with – and who is under the mask of Black Panther in the sequel if not King T’Challa.
One thing is also certain: Anyone who goes to the cinema from November 9th can look forward to a lot of Marvel films for their money. Also according to the industry website “The Hollywood Reporter”, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has a running time of two hours and 41 minutes. Various US cinemas initially stated this length on their websites, but Disney later confirmed the information. This makes the comic adaptation not only half an hour longer than its predecessor (135 minutes), but also the second longest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to date. Only “Avengers: Endgame” had an even longer running time: 181 minutes.
