Black Panther is now in fourth place on Fandango’s all-time pre-sellers list. Black Panther is one of Marvel’s most highly-anticipated releases ever, as well as one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year. Arriving in the mostly blockbuster-free month of February, the film - starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan and directed by Ryan Coogler - has earned almost universal praise and has done quite well at the international box office so far. Plus, with box office projections continuing to tick higher, it seems like Black Panther will top Deadpool’s February opening weekend record.

While it’s certainly not the first movie centered on a black superhero, Black Panther is the first film in the MCU franchise that features a black superhero in the title role, in addition to having a black director and a predominantly black cast. And while Black Panther prioritizes proper African representation (as it should), the film is being praised for having great appeal to general audiences, something that’s difficult to do for a non-team-up film. Now, we can see just how much appeal that is.

Black Panther is now in fourth place on Fandango’s all-time ticket pre-sales list. This is the most of any Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, any superhero movie, and any-non-Star Wars movie; the current top three are Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The original 2012 Hunger Games is fifth on the list, and it’s the only non-Disney release in the top five, which speaks volumes to Disney’s loyal audience.

#BlackPanther keeps climbing the charts. pic.twitter.com/794SSfXkkc— Fandango (@Fandango) February 15, 2018

The list was released as of Thursday afternoon, ahead of Black Panther’s first domestic showings on Thursday night in North America. Fandango didn’t release raw numbers for ticket sales, or reveal how close Black Panther has gotten to breaking into the top three.

It’s perhaps not surprising that Black Panther, based on its compelling story and strong word of mouth, has drawn historic amounts of interest ahead of its release, which is naturally reflected in the early sales numbers. It’s worth noting, however, that the numbers released only reflect Fandango’s ticket pre-sales, and not early sales from other ticketing sites or those who’ve purchased their tickets in-person. But don’t expect the Fandango non-Star Wars pre-sales mark to be the only box office record broken by Black Panther.

More: Every Record Black Panther Has Broken

Source: Fandango

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