By Valeria Bula
The first Marvel film to be directed by an African American has brought in the fifth biggest opening weekend of all time. Bringing in an estimated $201.8 million in revenue, “Black Panther” – starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan – broke several box office records, including the largest opening for an African American, which previously belonged to F. Gary Gray for “Fate of the Furious.”
The film brought in approximately over $360 million globally, according to Disney Studios. It also broke the previous February record held by “Deadpool” when it brought in $132 million when it opened in 2016.
The film is currently the second biggest box office opening for Marvel studios, coming in after the 2012 film, “The Avengers.” It is the studio’s 18th straight number one opening.
The record-breaking weekend, unlike any other blockbuster film, is historical and groundbreaking, as it has reached box office heights unimaginable to African-American titles. The outright success of the film could greatly impact the film industry as it could finally encourage diversity both in front and behind the camera.
The film broke down both box office and cinematic barriers to an extent that could not have been expected from such an African-American dominated cast and crew. It even scored a near perfect 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Even more so, Disney estimates that the film will see continued success by the end of the four-day weekend, allowing the film to potentially surpass “Avengers” and “Jurassic World” and become the second highest four-day opener following “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and replacing “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
The best part of the film’s success is the seeming minority acceptance that is seen – even if just for one weekend. With this success, one could only hope that the next blockbuster film has a minority cast and crew.
