Moviegoers in China showed up to theaters during Chinese New Year to the tune of $543 million, according to China box office tracker EntGroup, setting a new global record for the biggest combined total for any single market in a weekend.
This total is more than double the previous record for Chinese New Year, which was set in 2016 with $224 million. In addition, this record was achieved without the help of “Black Panther” or any other Hollywood release, as the Chinese government only allows local fare to be released during the holiday to promote the nation’s industry and culture.
The success of this weekend is a testament to the strength of China’s rapidly-growing movie theater industry, which has expanded over the past year into much smaller markets in the western part of the country where going to the movies is often the only option for a night out on the town.
And that has led to an enormous opening weekend for the Chinese blockbuster “Monster Hunt 2” with a $190 million launch and becoming the biggest Chinese opening weekend ever, beating the $184 million made by “The Fate of the Furious” last week. The film also made an $85 million Friday for the single biggest day in Chinese box office history, and might have been able to beat “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and its $119 million for the global single-day record had it been released in a less crowded market.
The film is a sequel to the 2015 fantasy film about humans and monsters who lived alongside — and at odds — with each other in ancient China, making $390 million.
“Monster Hunt 2” wasn’t the only film that found success. Behind it was the Wanda film “Detective Chinatown 2,” an action comedy about a pair of detectives who travel to New York’s Chinatown to investigate who killed a mobster’s son. That film made $154 million over the weekend, with “The Monkey King 3: Kingdom of Women” taking third with just under $80 million.
We will see how “Black Panther” does against this popular local fare when it hits theaters in China on March 9.
'Black Panther': All the Box Office Records It Has Broken So Far (Photos)
"Black Panther" has been breaking box office records left and right, and it still may not be done. But for now, here are some of the historical feats "Black Panther" has pulled off and the big-name films it has managed to top at the box office.
Marvel
Highest Domestic Grossing Superhero Movie: After six weekends in theaters, "Black Panther" has passed the domestic run of "The Avengers," which made $623 million in 2012. That puts it in the top five on the all-time domestic charts, and makes it the biggest superhero movie in U.S. box office history.
Biggest February opening weekend: Two years ago, "Deadpool" pushed the boundaries of what R-rated blockbuster can do at the box office with a $152 million four-day start on President's Day weekend. But "Black Panther" is blowing by that record with $192 million in three days.
Marvel
Biggest pre-summer opening weekend: Hollywood has recognized that a box office hit can be released at any time of the year, as seen when the live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" made $174.7 million last year. "Black Panther" is expected to beat that record by an $18 million margin.
Walt Disney Pictures
Biggest opening for a non-team-up superhero movie: Superhero movies with more than one hero like "The Avengers" tend to make more money than their single-hero counterparts, but "Black Panther" has not only beaten a five-year record held by "Iron Man 3," but is also posting a higher opening than films like "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Captain America: Civil War," films that have showcased all of Marvel's biggest heroes and, in the case of "Civil War," featured Black Panther in his big screen debut.
Marvel
Top 5 highest openings of all-time: "Black Panther" won't stay in the top 5 for very long, as "Avengers: Infinity War" will bump it off the list when it hits theaters in May. But for now, "Black Panther" will sit alongside the likes of "Jurassic World," "The Avengers" and the two latest "Star Wars" films for the biggest openings of all-time. Along with the aforementioned films like "Civil War" and "Age of Ultron," "Black Panther" has topped titles like "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" films.
Marvel
Highest grossing film by a Black Director: It has been a watershed year for black filmmakers, with Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight" winning Best Picture, Jordan Peele getting a Best Director Oscar nomination for "Get Out" and F. Gary Gray directing a billion-dollar hit with "The Fate of the Furious." Now there are two black directors ranked in the top 15 highest grossing films of all-time, with Ryan Coogler and "BP" passing Gray's $1.23 billion worldwide cume for the eighth "Fast & Furious" film
Getty Images
Biggest Opening By A Film With A Black Lead Character: Among the top 25 openings of all-time, only two films have black lead characters: "Furious 7" with Dwayne Johnson and "Suicide Squad" with Will Smith. Now "Black Panther," with its ten black actors led by Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, joins them on that list.
Five straight weekends at No. 1: In the 80s and 90s, 19 films stayed atop the weekend box office charts for five weekends or more. But since the turn of the century, only "Avatar" was able to reach that mark in 2010 with seven weekends at No. 1. "Black Panther" now joins those ranks with five weekends atop the charts.
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Ryan Coogler and ”Black Panther“ are making box office history
"Black Panther" has been breaking box office records left and right, and it still may not be done. But for now, here are some of the historical feats "Black Panther" has pulled off and the big-name films it has managed to top at the box office.
Marvel
