Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, in Marvel’s “Black Widow”.
Disney | wonder
“Black Widow” sold $ 13.2 million in preview tickets on Thursday, raising the bar for the box office of the pandemic era.
The Marvel movie is expected to gross between $ 80 million and $ 110 million in box office receipts this coming weekend.
“F9” garnered $ 7.1 million on Thursday previews last month and $ 70 million on its debut weekend, both records for a film released after the coronavirus pandemic.
“Black Widow” earnings on Thursday matched the $ 15.4 million raised from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and the $ 14.5 million raised from “Thor: Ragnarok” . Both films were released in 2017. “Spider-Man” grossed $ 117 million on its three-day opening weekend and “Thor: Ragnarok,” according to Comscore, $ 123 million.
The strong preview numbers – coupled with advanced ticket sales that are keeping up with several Marvel films released before the pandemic – suggest fans will see this feature hit the big screen, even though it’s available for $ 30 on Disney + is.
“This is the weekend Marvel fans have been waiting for, and their enthusiasm is reflected in Thursday’s preview figures, which point to what may be the best opening weekend for the pandemic-era Black Widow,” said Paul Dergarabedian, executive director Media analyst at Comscore. “Despite its availability on Disney +, ‘Black Widow’ is undeniably a big screen event and once again proves the essence of the cinematic experience.”
The number of cinemas open to the public is still below the level of 2019. Before the weekend, around 81% of the cinemas will sell tickets, reports Comscore.
Regardless, Black Widow is headed for the biggest opening of the pandemic, and the industry is likely to see the highest total weekend box office gross since March 2020. This will be a massive step up from the $ 901,000 the domestic box office grossed over the same weekend last year.
