OPINION: Black Panther shakes things up in the box-office and film industry
In what has arguably been the most anticipated Marvel movie ever, Black Panther has exceeded all expectations by far.
Black Panther has soared up the box-office charts following its opening weekend which raked in $192 023 000 (R2 239 189 804,15) over the three-day period.
This performance at the box office saw it climb to number five on the all-time opening weekend list, behind Marvel’s The Avengers, Jurassic World, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
It not only became the highest opening weekend in February of all time (winter in the Northern hemisphere), it also became the highest opening weekend for a movie with a black director at the helm.
One can attribute the success of the movie largely to the fact that it has provided what the film industry (especially the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)) has previously lacked – a predominantly black ensemble cast.
Moreover, and most importantly, it has a black actor in the lead role, and a black superhero (a first for the MCU).
Ryan Coogler, the man at the helm of the groundbreaking project, seems to have also hit a chord with the manner in which he and his team incorporated several African cultures into the fictional Wakandan culture seen in the movie.
In fact, Pulse Nigeria managed to find an astounding 11 different cultures represented in the movie, namely Zulu, Basotho, Ndebele, Turkana, Tuareg, Dogon, Agbada, Himba, Igbo, Massai, and the Surma and Mursi tribes.
Black Panther has also become Ryan Coogler’s highest-earning film, far surpassing Creed’s total gross of $173 567 581 (R2 021 307 299,67) worldwide.
The movie was not only a hit in America – it did equally well around the world, earning $169 000 000 (R1 970 717 450) during its opening weekend.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Randfontein Herald
