Black Widow sets pandemic-era box office record with $87 million debut

Black Widow may not have the superpowers of Thor and Captain America, but she's proven that she's powerful enough to take over the box office. The solo film for the red-haired superspy — and the first Marvel film to hit theaters since the start of the pandemic — broke box office records with an estimated $87 million debut, marking the biggest opening of the pandemic era. The film also set a new record for single-day earnings, bringing in $39.5 million on Friday.

Black Widow's massive debut ousts F9 from its spot as the previous record holder for pandemic-era box office numbers. The ninth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise opened with a $70 million debut in June, giving the box office a much-needed boost as the summer movie season kicks off. It holds steady in second place with an estimated $10.4 million, following by The Boss Baby: Family Business ($8.7 million) and The Forever Purge ($6.8 million). A Quiet Place Part II rounded out the top 5 ($3.1 million).

The film is also available to stream on Disney+ with premiere access for $30, where Disney reports it made over $60 million.

Set between the interim of 2016's Captain America: Civil War and 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, Black Widow follows Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) on the run as she's drawn into a dangerous mission from her Red Room past that involves reuniting with the spy family from her childhood: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz.)

EW gave the film a B+ grade, calling it a "domestic dramedy, transposed onto the big-bang set pieces and elaborate lore of a Marvel tentpole… if Widow, with its winky one-liners and spandexed catsuits, is purely pop feminism, the movie's female gaze still reads like more than a cynical marketing ploy; it's one step closer to real, messy life, Marvel-size and amplified."

The film rated slightly higher on Cinemascore, earning an A-.

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