"Black Panther" opening sets box office record with $235 million over four day holiday weekend

"black panther" shattered box office records with an estimated $235 million in u.s. and canadian ticket sales for the four-day holiday weekend. the previous record holder was "deadpool," which made $152 million domestically over the four-day holiday in 2016.

the marvel entertainment release, the first global superhero blockbuster with a black director and predominantly black cast, set records for a february opening, and for a presidents day weekend debut. "black panther" is fifth highest domestic opening weekend of all-time. 

one of the most highly-anticipated films of the year, "black panther" landed an a-plus audience rating from cinemascore, and a 97% "fresh" rating among critics on rotten tomatoes. as such, it is now the most well-received superhero film ever.

"results like this go beyond anything anyone ever could have hoped for. the momentum that the film has, has left us unable, even, to keep up with projections. it's unbelievable," said dave hollis, president of global distribution at disney.

some folks in hollywood believe films with predominantly black casts don't succeed at the foreign box office. but disney reported $169 million in international ticket sales - a figure expected to climb dramatically when "black panther" opens in major markets including china, japan and russia.

hollis said, "it's a testament to an extraordinarily made film. but also, a big part of it too says very clearly that inclusion and representation matter. it's a powerful thing for people to see themselves and know that they're seen in the films we put up in a movie theater. audiences deserve to see themselves on screen. not only because it's the right thing to do, but it makes for better, richer storytelling."

an ethnically diverse audience pool gave "black panther" five out of five stars on a comscore/screen engine posttrak audience survey. the moviegoers were 37% black, 35% white, 18% latino, 5% asian, and 5% other.