Marvel StudiosBlack Panther is breaking ground and is now on the way to breaking box office records, after filling theatres around the world.
With a projected gross of $195-205 million for its opening weekend, King T’Challa is fast approaching the record opening of $207 million, which would take the crown from The Avengers in 2012.
Black Panther is kicking comic book butt, wiping the floor with last year’s releases of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: Homecoming – none of which grossed more than $147 million on opening, reports MTV.
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Before the film’s official release it receievd a 100 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes – the film review database – and has now only dropped to 97 per cent. That’s fresh.
The pre-sale tickets for Black Panther sold like hot cakes and Ryan Coogler’s epic is already outstripping Captain America: Civil War as ticketing site Fandango’s best-selling Marvel title in the first 24 hours.
Yet it’s not just in the Marvel Cinematic Universe the film is making big impressions, as this month sees lead star Chadwick Boseman become the first ever Marvel character to appear on the cover of TIME magazine:
I wrote about BLACK PANTHER for @TIME. https://t.co/CldGBeVaM7 pic.twitter.com/L2NykKjZuj
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) February 8, 2018
Black Panther is one Marvel’s most important films in terms of social awareness, while it provides an intelligent, thought-provoking and often-times visceral commentary about heritage and tradition – it’s also accessible enough for a wide range of audiences to enjoy and embrace.
Based on Jack Kirby’s 1966 comic, the movie is a long overdue celebration of African culture, heritage and heroes featuring Marvel’s first ever predominantly black cast.
Marvel StudiosFor decades there’s been a significant lack of representation in all cinema – not just the superhero genre – and Black Panther goes some way to mark how Hollywood can address the imbalance.
Not only is African culture represented in this film, but it’s shown in a positive, three-dimensional light.
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.