The Marvel film “Black Panther” is transforming how people across the world think about superhero movies.
It currently has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, an A+ on Cinemascore, and is being hailed as breakthrough moment for Hollywood for its celebration of African-American culture, the New York Times reports.
Take Action: Call on Secretary Tillerson and Secretary Azar to #StoptheCuts and Protect Foreign Aid
And now all the hype that preceded the film’s release is being matched by record-breaking ticket sales, proof that critically acclaimed and culturally significant films can have commercial success.
North American sales for “Black Panther” are estimated at $218 million for the first weekend, the highest amount for a February release in history, according to an analysis by comScore.
While analysts had expected a massive weekend for “Black Panther” in the US, they were unsure how it would be received internationally because of persistent myths that diversity doesn’t do well overseas, the Times reports.
This image released by Disney shows a scene from Marvel Studios' "Black Panther."
This image released by Disney shows a scene from Marvel Studios' "Black Panther."
In recent years, US studios have come to depend on foreign markets for up to 70% of their revenue, according to the BBC, so international sensibilities have had a greater influence on what movies get produced.
Read More: 16 of the Best Reactions to the Black Panther Movie
“Black Panther” showed, once and for all, that a movie starring African Americans can have mass market appeal overseas.
Global opening weekend ticket sales reached $387 million, according to the Times, making it the highest-grossing film by a black director, Ryan Coogler, of all time. The previous highest grossing film by a black director was “Straight Outta Compton,” which netted $214 million overseas throughout its entire run, the Times reports.
The highest-grossing opening weekend of all time was for last year’s “The Fate and the Furious,” which brought in $542 million.
“Black Panther” performed especially well in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ukraine, South Korea, Mexico, and Brazil, according to comScore, and it will be released in major markets like China, Russia, and Japan in the weeks ahead.
Read More: Kendrick Lamar Is Sending 1,000 Kids to See 'Black Panther'
An overall strong showing by “Black Panther” could change the status quo in Hollywood, spurring studios to embrace diversity in future films and address the racial and gender disparities found at all levels of the industry.
Prior to recent movies like “Get Out,” “Girls’ Trip,” “Straight Outta Compton,” and now “Black Panther,” many leading studios underinvested in movies with diverse casts because of the belief that they would fail to turn a profit. This, in turn, reinforced the already overwhelming lack of representation throughout the film industry, according to NPR.
Between 2007 and 2015, just 5.5% of directors were black or African American, while 82% were white men, according to an analysis from the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA.
Directors like Coogler and Jordan Peele of “Get Out” are showing that black directors are as commercially viable as their white peers and that narratives centered on black characters resonate with people across demographics.
The embrace of African-American culture in a blockbuster like “Black Panther” could ultimately lead to more opportunities for people of color throughout Hollywood, according to Quartz.
“The concept of an African story, with actors of African descent at the forefront, combined with the scale of modern franchise filmmaking, is something that hasn’t really been seen before,” Coogler, the fim’s director, told The Hollywood Reporter. “You feel like you’re getting the opportunity of seeing something fresh, being a part of something new, which I think all audiences want to experience regardless of whether they are of African descent or not.”
There’s also no underestimating the effect this movie will have on young children of color who may for the first time be seeing superheros who look like them on the big screen, a phenomenon that is being captured on social media with the hashtag #WhatBlackPantherMeanstoMe.
Seeing centered Black women in key roles and appearing in merchandise as action figures makes my spirit flip. This film means so much to me as a Black girl nerd. #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMehttps://t.co/e8HD7fMaYd
— Jamie “Hey Auntie” Broadnax (@JamieBroadnax) February 6, 2018
#WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe It means that Black directors can tell our stories on the highest level with actors that looks like me as the heroes.
— Matthee A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) February 6, 2018
Also, as an actor, seeing roles that aren’t just “the black sidekick”, “the maid”, “the sassy black friend”, give me hope for my career. And as a nerd, I finally feel validated as a nerd of color. This is every childhood trauma finally being vindicated. #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe
— Mica Burton (@MicaBurton) February 6, 2018
Read More: Octavia Spencer to Give Out Free 'Black Panther' Tickets to Low-Income Residents
“Hopefully someday we’ll look back at the release of ‘Black Panther’ as the turning point when diversity and positive representation in blockbusters switched from being an anomaly to being normal,” Phil Contrino, director of media and research for the National Association of Theater Owners, told the Times.
Global CItizen campaigns on the United Nations’ Global Goals, which call for tolerant and inclusive societies. You can take action on this issue here.