Strength of the Black Panther. Wakanda Forever sets the stage for an epic summer of cinema.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set the box office alight, pushing the total weekend audience result to 795,000 admits – a result that sits +75% ahead of the previous weekend.
Home of Youth: 56% of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s audience was aged between 18-39, cementing cinema’s position as the cultural home of youth.
Marvel’s second instalment in the Black Panther franchise, and the final film in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has soared to the top spot at the Australian box office after a hugely successful opening weekend.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, who also worked on the 2018 Black Panther, the second film begins with T’Challa’s mother, Queen Ramonda, played by Angela Bassett, as the temporary ruler of Wakanda after the death of T’Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman who tragically passed away in 2020. Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje, fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death.
Across Wednesday to Sunday, the highly anticipated film helped drive total weekend admissions to 795,000, which sits +75% on the prior weekend admissions. 56% of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever audience fell within the P18-39 demographic. This proves yet again Cinema’s unique ability to draw youth audiences to Australia’s #1 cultural activity.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has also delivered $10.5 million to date across Australia – the biggest box office opening result since Thor: Love and Thunder which was released in July this year.
Guy Burbidge, Managing Director of Val Morgan Cinema says “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has set the stage for the upcoming slate of summer titles, which includes the release of one of the most anticipated films of the decade Avatar: The Way of Water, alongside Whitney Houston’s biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and family favourite Puss in Boots 2. This calibre of quality content provides an incredibly valuable opportunity to advertisers to connect with key demographics and audiences at such a crucial time of the year.”
“It’s fantastic to see positive performance and the successful opening of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever after an incredibly successful year on the big screen with a total of three huge films released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As we look even further into the future, we know the MCU will continue to be a driving force within Cinema with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels already announced to release in cinemas in 2023.”
“Alongside these killer MCU titles, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Fast X, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part One, and Indiana Jones 5, to name a few, are all planned to release within the first half of next year which shows the strength of enduring storylines that Australian audiences know and love, which provides brands with the opportunity to align with guaranteed cultural moments that will deliver results.”
“We’re confident the upcoming summer of cinema and 2023 will be huge” added Burbidge.
*Source: CineTam November 2022 (Wed-Sun)