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 like The Dark Knight and Marvel's The Avengers. Now, Black Panther [5] is gunning for Titanic [6].
As of Thursday the Ryan Coogler-directed MCU film has pulled in a grand total of $654.2 million at the domestic box office, which officially 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's not stopping there. As early as Friday or Saturday, Black Panther [8] could surpass 1997's Titanic [9] to become the newest film in the number three spot, and it only needs a little over $5 million to get there.
James Cameron's 11-time Oscar-winner has been a box office force to be reckoned with for years with its $659 million record. If Black Panther does manage to overtake it — which we're betting it will by next week, at the latest — the number one and two spots will be quite a bit harder to clinch. Cameron's sci-fi adventure film Avatar 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.