The Marvel superhero movie fronted by Scarlett Johansson has set opening day records across the globe, gearing up for a triumphant debut at the box office.
- Jul 10, 2021
AceShowbiz - "Black Widow" has set opening day records in several countries.
The long-delayed Marvel blockbuster, the first standalone film for Scarlett Johansson's assassin character, has earned $35.6 million (£25.6 million) since opening in 11 markets this week, ahead of Friday's U.S. release.
Thursday night previews in North America raked in $13.2 million (£9.5 million), easily besting the debuts of previous pandemic releases "F9" and "A Quiet Place Part II". Opening weekend expectations for the U.S. and Canada are now in the $90 million (£64.8 million) range.
Industry experts predict the movie could bring in as much as $140 million (£100 million).
Despite opening day competition in the U.K. from Wednesday's (7Jul21) England vs Denmark Euro 2020 soccer semi-final, the film kicked off with $1.7 million (£1.2 million). It scored Britain's highest opening day revenue since the start of COVID and was one per cent ahead of this year's biggest-grossing U.K. release to date, "Fast 9", and only five per cent below 2014's pre-pandemic "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".
Other international records set by the new release include the second-highest opening day so far this year in Korea, second only to "F9", which opened on a national holiday.
Fans in Russia - where much of "Black Widow" is set - also took the film to the top of their charts, marking the highest COVID-era opening day, while the movie notched up a new mark in Saudi Arabia, with Disney's best ever movie opening total.