As we turn the corner into February, we are mere weeks away from Black Panther and excitement is at a fever pitch. The film has already outpaced every Marvel Cinematic Universe film in history for Fandango pre-sales, including previous record holder Captain America: Civil War. Black Panther first screened just days ago and the early reactions have been kind to Ryan Coogler's film, discussing its beauty, substance and creativity. While formal reviews aren't out yet, this buzz has propelled Black Panther to another pre-sale record. Not satisfied with just being the best MCU film in pre-sales, Black Panther is now outpacing all superhero movies, including Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in advance ticket sales.
Now pre-sales are in no way a definitive metric of a film's future success, but what they do convey is the buzz around a film. This pre-sale record shows that not only are a lot of people excited about this film, but they are so excited that they are actively planning to see it as soon as it comes out. While Batman v Superman was ultimately met with a mixed reception, you've got to remember how big a deal that film was going in. The real start of a unified DC film universe and getting to see the trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, among the most well-known and popular superheroes ever, together on screen for the first time. That was a huge deal and the fact that Black Panther is eclipsing that level of anticipation is remarkable. After all, Black Panther is not a household name and he only made his (admittedly badass) cinematic debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
The early reactions have only added to the excitement too, as the film is the number one daily ticket-seller on Fandango, despite not coming out for another two weeks. This is also impressive, considering that Valentine's Day is coming up and Fifty Shades Freed debuts a week before Black Panther. There are a lot of reasons that Black Panther has struck a chord with moviegoing audiences enough that those viewers are scooping up early tickets at a high rate. According to a survey of advance ticket buyers, many were looking forward to seeing Chadwick Boseman's character after Civil War and are also keen on a different kind of superhero movie with positive messages. Many are also looking forward to the female warriros, Michael B. Jordan and getting to explore Wakanda, which has been such a highlight of the trailers.
Interestingly, many of the reasons cited for wanting to see the film by advance ticket purchasers are the exact things being praised in early reactions to the film. That certainly bodes well for audiences leaving the theater happy and perhaps driving repeat business for the film. We still have some questions about Black Panther ahead of its release, but it is clear that Marvel continues to attract audiences by offering them something new and different each time out. Black Panther hits theaters on February 16th.
