Cape Town - Black Panther opened in cinemas across the continent this past weekend and, in doing so, lit up the box office.
Cinemas across the continent played host to guests dressing up, dancing and singing as the next chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe played out with a distinctly celebratory African story.
The film, which has become a cultural phenomenon both at home and across the globe, took in over R16.8m at the South African box office with nearly 200k attendances for the 3-day opening weekend 16-18 February.
This debut ranks as the third biggest industry opening weekend ever in South Africa (and the second biggest industry opening weekend ever, excluding previews) as well as the biggest opening for a Marvel Studios film ever in South Africa.
In addition, Black Panther scored the highest Saturday box office of all time in South Africa, with takings of over R6.9m on 17 February.
Elsewhere on the continent, Black Panther has become the biggest industry opening weekend of all time in both East and West Africa, with the film continually trending on social media in the run up to the release and over the weekend.
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