At this point, there is a solid chance that many of you have already heard about how Ryan Coogler's Black Panther seriously overperformed at the box office. T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) origin movie has become one of the most successful Marvel Cinematic Universe films in history, and it has officially become a watershed moment in the history of the comic book movie genre. Specifically, it looks like Black Panther is about to become the most financially successful superhero origin movie of all time.
Black Panther has knocked out milestone after milestone in the short time that it's been in theaters, but the one it's about to hit is one of its most impressive yet. The eighteenth Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is currently nearing $412 million at the domestic box office, which puts it in spitting distance of overtaking Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman's $412.5 million lifetime gross, which will make it the highest-grossing comic book origin movie of all time.
As of right now, Black Panther has most recently overtaken Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, as well as Tim Miller's Deadpool -- both of which have become recognized as record breakers and game changers in their own right. T'Challa is often regarded as the wealthiest comic book character in the Marvel and DC canons, and the box office performance of Black Panther is definitely helping him live up to that reputation.
While it's true that Black Panther technically hasn't overtaken Wonder Woman's top spot on the Box Office Mojo leaderboards just yet, it's worth remembering that it's almost certainly going to happen soon. Black Panther has been in theaters for less than two weeks, and it is already within one million dollars of the DCEU film's lifetime gross. Considering the legs that Black Panther seems to have at the box office (which is especially impressive when we reflect on the fact that Wonder Woman similarly showed quite a bit of stamina at the box office), it's really just a matter of waiting until it takes the top spot.
Black Panther is currently in theaters. If you haven't checked it out already, then take a look at CinemaBlend's full review of the film and make sure to see what all of the fuss is about for yourself. That said, T'Challa's journey into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2018 isn't over yet, as the black-clad hero will make his next major appearance on the silver screen when Avengers: Infinity War premieres in theaters on May 4!
UPDATE: Black Panther has obviously blown past the milestone. It has passed $421,000,000 at the domestic box office and is now approaching $750,000,000 in worldwide grosses. What an incredible success story.
