The Black Panther [1] train is showing no signs of slowing down. The Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest superhero story ripped through the box office [2] following its Feb. 16 debut, bringing in hundreds of millions [3] and even earning Oscar buzz [4]. Naturally, the film has also been demolishing box office records previously held by pop-culture juggernauts such as The Dark Knight and Marvel's The Avengers. Now, Black Panther [5] has taken down the Titanic [6].
As of Thursday the Ryan Coogler-directed MCU film pulled in a grand total of $654.2 million at the domestic box office, which put it ahead of the $652.3 million Jurassic World earned in 2015 and made it the number four highest-earning movie ever [7] in the US. But it didn't stop there. On Friday, Black Panther [8] finished with a domestic total of $659.3 million, just shy of Titanic [9]'s $659.5 million gross in 1997. On Saturday, it officially became the third highest grossing movie of all time [10] in North America.
The number one and two spots will be quite a bit harder to clinch. Avatar, 2009's sci-fi adventure, also directed by James Cameron who directed Titanic [12], comes in second at $760.5 million, while 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens reigns supreme at number one with $936.6 million.
But, hey — if you've learned anything over the last few months, hopefully it's that anyone who underestimates the power of T'Challa is making a huge mistake. A Titanic-size mistake, if you want to get specific.