Hitting the global benchmark of $500 million – $546.3 million, to be exact – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seems to be rallying moviegoers to the movie theaters in droves with the word that the film’s warriors chant: “Yibambe (hold fast)!”

The domestic box office, where the sequel stayed on top in its second week, contributed $288 million to that $500 million-plus worldwide total so far. The Ryan Coogler-directed epic’s sophomore frame earnings in the United States and Canada hit $67.3 million.

The success of Wakanda Forever guarantees the continuation of the franchise begun by Black Panther, which starred Chadwick Boseman (as T’Challa), whose death saddened and shocked the world.

Letitia Wright as Shuri, T’Challa’s sister, Lupita Nyong’o, Tenoch Huerta, Angela Bassett, and Danai Gurira star in the sequel and appear headed to future installments based on Wakanda Forever’s smash box office showing.

Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam dropped two notches down because of two newcomers. Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Jones, and Nicholas Hoult’s black comedy horror thriller, The Menu, served a surprise by placing second on its debut.

A satire on foodie culture, directed by Mark Mylod and also starring Hong Chau, John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer, and Judith Light, The Menu took the second spot with $9 million. Fiennes plays the celebrity chef of a restaurant on a private island that guests on the lookout for the latest molecular gastronomy can only reach by boat.

Black Adam was also eclipsed by Jesus. The theatrical screening of The Chosen: Season 3 (first two episodes), which follows Christ, along with Judas, bowed at number three after taking in $8.2 million. The new season production of the faith-based Angel Studios, with Jonathan Roumie playing Jesus, will eventually be streamed in December.

The Rock’s Black Adam settled for the fourth spot with a $4.48 million haul and a five-week domestic cume of $156.9 million.

Rounding out the magic five was Ticket to Paradise, which sold another $3.2 million at the turnstiles. The rom-com has tallied $61.6 million in five weeks.

Making up the rest of the top ten were, in order: She Said, Maria Schrader’s true story-based drama with Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as New York Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations, $2.25 million; Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, $1.9 million; Smile, $1.15 million; Drishyam 2, an Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller sequel, which premiered with $1.05 million; and Prey for the Devil, $935,000.

Overseas, Wakanda Forever also reigned, taking in $69.8 million in 50 territories. Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Korea, France, Indonesia, Germany, and Australia are the biggest offshore performers for Disney and Marvel Studios movies.

Filmgoers overseas are also queuing to savor The Menu, ordering $6.2 million worth of tickets in more than 30 markets.

From over 70 territories came another $5.1 million for Black Adam, upping the DC Extended Universe flick’s international cumulative to $209.2 million after five weeks.

Offshore holdovers include Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, $2.5 million; Smile, $1.3 million, which increased the horror film’s total to $109.3 million; Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, director Anthony Fabian’s arthouse hit, featuring Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, and Lambert Wilson, $1.28 million ($26 million worldwide); and Prey for the Devil, $1.2 million.

With Thanksgiving weekend ahead, a traditionally robust period for movie attendance, Wakanda Forever, other currently showing films and debuting ones, including Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, Daniel Craig’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Disney’s Strange World, and Timothée Chalamet’s Bones and All, should further spur a return to pre-pandemic box office times.