(Photo credit: @blackpanther instagram)
Writer and director Ryan Coogler’s vision for the 1960s comic book hero Black Panther has come to life officially landing in theaters today. The movie, starring Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan, has turned into a cultural event. It has literally lit up social media with videos, fashion-inspired watch parties, GoFundMe accounts just to get kids to go see the movie–it’s huge.
“…A predominantly black-cast movie is getting this kind of traction finally shows what we all intuitively know: Make great art and people will respond,” said the actor and musician Common. The hashtag #representationMatters has been aslo trending side by side with posts about the movie on social media.
Marvel Studios is one of the most successful brands in Hollywood. The Disney subsidiary has broken box office records, brought in more than $13.5 billion worldwide, and had each of its 17 films opened at No. 1. Yet, not many of its films have enjoyed the same level of buzz generated by “Black Panther.
The movie is projected by tracking services to gross $175 million at the domestic box office over the four-day holiday weekend and even has a chance to top $166 million for the Friday-Sunday period — which would put it in the top 10 openings of all time. Over coming weeks, the action-adventure is expected to sail past $350 million domestically and could well surpass $400 million. Marvel gave Coogler a budget of $200 million, nearly unheard of for a black director.
The movie has already surpassed Fandango pre-sell records for ANY Marvel movie. It was previously held by “Captain America: Civil War” but the story of Wakanda pushed passed it.
“Black Panther” could easily become the biggest February opening in history, toppling “Deadpool,” the R-rated superhero film from 20th Century Fox that brought in $132 million when it opened in 2016.(“Deadpool” also holds the four day President’s Day opening record at $152 million).
“Black Panther’s” three day projections would also put it in the top openings for a Marvel Studios film and in the top ten opening for the superhero genre overall.
It has already become the biggest seller of advance tickets of any other Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Imax Entertainment CEO Greg Foster doesn’t see that momentum stopping before the film hits theaters.
These staggering numbers are a reflection of the film’s popularity and the buzz that started months before “Black Panther” even premiered. Earlier this week, Twitter announced that “Black Panther” is the most tweeted movie of the year, amassing more than 5 million tweets ahead of its February 15 opening day.
The impressions of the film are also immensely positive. Black Panther currently holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and
that’s not to mention all of the money charities and celebrities have raised to send children from low-income neighborhoods to go see it in the theaters.
Black Panther currently holds a 4.18 out of 5 on ComicBook.com’s Anticipation Rankings, holding the #2 spot.
“Black Panther” is also a draw overseas, where it has grossed $47 million since it began rolling out on Tuesday. It is now showing in several major markets — a group that includes the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France, and Australia. On Friday, “Black Panther” opens in Spain, Mexico, Finland, India, and South Africa.
Post courtesy of BlackDoctor.org.