Black Panther has officially surpassed the US box office collections of James Cameron's 1997 hit Titanic to become the third top-most grosser of all time.
Black Panther, featuring an all-black cast, falls behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.7 million) and Avatar ($760.5 million). It crossed $665 million at the US box office on Saturday, according to reports. Titanic had finished at $659.5 million when it released in late 1997.
The Disney and Marvel superhero film stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther alongside Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis.
The story, described as a tale of black power and black pride in addition to its superhero themes, follows T'Challa as he is sworn in as king of Wakanda, a cloaked, technologically advanced nation in Africa that is home to the exotic metal vibranium, the source of Black Panther's powers.
Besides a remarkable box office record, Black Panther has created another milestone—it will be the first movie to be screened in Saudi Arabia marking an end to the country's 35-year ban on cinema.