It’s impossible to replace the irreplaceable Chadwick Boseman, but that was Ryan Coogler’s task as the director of the biggest Marvel film of the year.
Now in its third weekend since release, Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is having no trouble staying above the competition at the box office this past Thanksgiving weekend. After bringing in $8.1 million on Thanksgiving Day, the long awaited sequel exploded the following Friday, adding another $18.2 million more in ticket sales to its haul. Wakanda Forever is the only resounding box office success this season, on target to push past $350 million gross through the weekend.
On Monday, Wakanda Forever will pass Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore to become the No. 7 highest-grossing movie of 2022. It is still eyeing an international finish around $415M.
The film is rated over 80% “fresh” on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Critics say the film has an “overly busy” plot, but is a poignant tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed King T’Challa.
Coogler, alongside Marvel Studio’s executives, decided not to recast the character of T’Challa. Instead, the film opens with the off-screen death of the character. The story that follows centers on how the characters in the world of Wakanda deal with that loss as well as the encroachment of the rest of the world, which has become aware of the country’s rare and powerful resource – vibranium.
Though Several critics called the plot overstuffed, Coogler sought to pay tribute to Boseman and establish the necessary markers for future Marvel projects.
“Wakanda Forever” isn’t just an exercise in mourning. In 2 hours and 40 minutes, it finds plenty of time for whale riding and fierce combat with all manner of spear handling and epic battle. It is still, in other words, a Marvel movie, though a somber and at times a quite resonant one.