'Black Panther' Has Smashed 'Titantic's Box Office Record

It just became the third highest-grossing movie of all time.

Wetsuit, Human, Chest, Muscle, Personal protective equipment, Barechested, Fictional character,
(Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

The success of Black Panther continues—following immense ticket sales since its release, Marvel's epic superhero film just surpassed Titanic to become the third highest-grossing movie of all time at the North American box office. Wakanda forever!

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In less than two months, Black Panther has managed to make more at the box office than 1997's Titanic, which is more than a little impressive. As The Hollywood Reporter notes "Black Panther finished Friday with a domestic total of $659.3 million, just shy of the $659.5 million grossed by Titanic," easily surpassing that mark on Saturday.

Chadwick Boseman's unforgettable superhero performance still sits behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made $936.7 million, and Avatar, which earned $760.5 million (via The Hollywood Reporter). Whether or not Black Panther will catch up to either of those record-breaking movies remains to be seen, but as no-one expected it to out-earn Titanic, it's certainly not an impossible feat.

Since before its release, critics noted that Black Panther is Marvel's most inclusive movie to date. Variety points out that the film's "diversity is not only racially inclusive, but representative of women and the LGBTQ community as well."

The impressive performances of female leads Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Angela Bassett definitely made the Marvel Cinematic Universe accessible to women in a way that previous superhero films hadn't.

Basically, Black Panther is proving that diversity can and does sell at the movies, and the latest box office figures make it clear that fans want more movies exactly like this.

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Amy Mackelden
Editor

Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.