« Black Panther » could usher in a new era for Hollywood.
The King of Wakanda’s reign at the box office kicked off on Thursday.
« Black Panther, » which stars Chadwick Boseman and Marvel’s first African-American director, Ryan Coogler, nabbed $25.2 million domestically on Thursday night. That’s the second biggest Thursday night preview gross for a Marvel Studios film and nearly doubles the February opening night record held by « Deadpool. »
The superhero film is now heading for a weekend in which more records could fall. Box office projections for the film have been all over the map, but analysts are forecasting a three-day opening weekend around $160 million. That would topple 2016’s « Deadpool, » which holds the February opening weekend record, making « Black Panther » one of the biggest openings for a superhero film ever.
Disney is projecting a record-breaking opening in the range of $172 million to $198 million for the four-day President’s day holiday weekend.
A massive opening weekend and a long run at the box office would prove that films like « Black Panther » can be both bankable and culturally influential, prompting the rest of the movie industry to encourage diversity in front of and behind the camera. We saw this play out after « Wonder Woman’s » box office success. We also saw this happen with other recent movies by African-American filmmakers, according to K. Austin Collins, a staff writer at The Ringer who covers film and culture.
« Straight Outta Compton » and this year’s Oscar best picture nominee, « Get Out » prove that films made by and starring African-Americans can garner both critical acclaim and box office success.
« If anything changes, it should be the expectations, which dictate the extent to which studios are willing to take risks, » Collins said. « The mega-success of ‘Black Panther’ would hopefully change that. »
Collins added that African-American action movies, or even ones with African-American leads and a diverse cast, « still feel relatively rare. »
« This is a movie with a loyal audience that’s been underserved, » he said. « Appealing to that audience on this level is as good for business as it is for that audience. »
If projections hold, « Black Panther » should easily take the title for highest-grossing opening for a African-American director ever, a distinction held by F. Gary Gray, who directed » The Fate of the Furious, » which opened at $98 million last April.
« Black Panther » could reach the kind of box office success that has eluded other African-American films. « Get Out, » « Hidden Figures » and « Straight Outta Compton » have all done well, but they still rank No. 250, No. 269, and No. 296 respectively on the all-time domestic box office list, according to data from Box Office Mojo .
« Black Panther » was hailed by journalist Jamil Smith as the « first mega-budget movie » helmed by an African-American director.
« Hollywood has never produced a blockbuster this splendidly black, » Smith wrote in Time magazine. « ‘Black Panther’ is poised to prove to Hollywood that African-American narratives have the power to generate profits from all audiences. And, more important, that making movies about black lives is part of showing that they matter. »
« Black Panther’s » success forces Hollywood to reckon with its hesitation to produce movies that star minorities, according to Collins.
Related: More than a movie, ‘Black Panther’ is a movement
« Now that we know diverse casts make money, rather than losing it, there’s no logic — not financial, not social — in which not having diverse casts makes the most sense, » Collins said. « Equity of representation behind the scenes should simply be the default. There’s no excuse. »
