While it remains to be seen if the trend continues through the weekend, it seems movie audiences are eager for an opening night experience like the pre-pandemic days. Sneak previews of Marvel Studios' Black Widow earned an estimated $13.2 million nationwide on Thursday.
The figure bests sneaks for the first big hits of the pandemic era: A Quiet Place Part II earned $4.8 million in its preview debut back in May, and Fast 9 -- the most successful movie of the year to date -- made $7.1 million on its Thursday opening a month later.
Black Widow, the standalone prequel adventure of star and executive producer Scarlett Johansson's Avenger, has already made more than $22 million from 30 overseas markets. Stateside, it's been buoyed by solid reviews: aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has it "Certified Fresh" with a score of 81%.
Black Widow is also available to watch via Disney+ Premier Access.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.