Black Panther’s Record-Breaking Opening Weekend, in Photos (and Costumes)

Black Panther, the Marvel Studios superhero flick that opened on Friday, is stalking its way into the cultural zeitgeist in ways few movies ever do.

The Walt Disney Co.-produced picture, the first big Hollywood action movie with a majority black cast, took in an estimated $242 million over the four-day Presidents Day weekend in North America and $426.6 million worldwide, roaring past projections and putting it on track to be one of the top-grossing films of the year. Even before its release, the film was breaking records: Fandango, the online ticket-selling site, said Black Panther generated more advance sales than any film without “Star Wars” in its title. More than half of all African Americans in the country intended to see the movie in a theater, according to the polling firm YouGov Omnibus.