The excitement for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is massive. In fact, early tracking indicates director Ryan Coogler’s eagerly-anticipated sequel will likely bring in the second biggest opening weekend box office haul of the year.

The firm NRG has Wakanda Forever eyeing a $175 million opening, yet even those eye-popping numbers might be on the low end. Multiple outlets, including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, write that rival studio executives believe those figures will grow after the reviews and word-of-mouth amp up the excitement even further. Variety writes that not only are advance ticket sales strong, but crucially, for those chosen few who have seen the film, the sequel delivers.

Currently, the year’s biggest opening belongs to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which pulled in $187.4 million. Coogler’s original Black Panther bowed to an astonishing $202 million in 2018, kickstarting what would become a global phenomenon that made mega-stars of many of the talented people involved, including the late, great Chadwick Boseman.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens on November 11. The focus was originally going to be on the maturation of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, aka Black Panther, but after the star passed away at the age of 43 in August of 2020 from colon cancer, Coogler and his co-writer Joe Robert Cole completely re-wrote the film. Now, the focus will be on the nation of Wakanda mourning T’Challa’s loss, how the surviving Wakandan leaders handle the moment, and a new threat from Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, the King of the formidable underwater kingdom of Talocan.

Returning cast members include Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, and Winston Duke. Newcomers joining Huerta include Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, and Mabel Cadena.

For more on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, check out these stories:

Lupita Nyong’o on the Bittersweet Beauty of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Reveals Stunning New Image of Namor

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Teaser Sees Shuri Telling Namor to Bring It

New “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Video Reveals Shots of Ironheart, Kingdom of Talocan & More