Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther made it obvious that their goal was to take on the general race issues in films. When Black Panther came out, it became the highest-grossing movie with a mostly black cast (Forbes), and it was the first Marvel movie to feature a black superhero in the titular role. Most movies will have the main character as a white man and if they have black characters, they are used for comic relief or simply a sidekick. This movie took that general troupe and flipped it around with the black man as the main character surrounding by mostly black characters. The only white characters were used as comic relief or small assistance to the black character. Examples are Agent Ross helping with the planes and Klaw helping Kilmonger rise. Those were the only two and they were minor to the story.
In addition to the cast, Black Panther made sure that the makeup, costume design, and set design was honest to African culture. In many movies, black characters are portrayed to follow the stereotypes people have about where they would live or what they would wear. Black Panther avoided these stereotypes.
The film, Black Panther, accomplished a lot when it comes to race, gender, sexuality, and social justice issues in films, but it was truly successful due to its cultural impact. If Black Panther was to come out and not be the critical and box office success it was, it would not have been able to be as effective in sharing its message. The film became the top-grossing movie domestically in 2018, including being the fourth highest domestically and 11th highest worldwide (Black Panther Box Office Mojo). It even became the first superhero movie to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was also nominated for six other Oscars, winning three. The success of Black Panther proved that creating a film that has a mainly black cast, is led by black actors, portrays women as strong and intelligent, and tackles important social justice issues, is not a risk, but a way to make a great and profitable movie.
Works Cited:
“Black Panther (2018).” Box Office Mojo, https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=marvel2017b.htm.
Gabbard, Krin. Black Magic: White Hollywood and African American Culture. Rutgers University Press, 2004.
Grossing Film With A Black Cast.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 21 Feb. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/02/20/a-426-6-million-opening-makes- black-panther-the-top-grossing-film-with-a-black-cast/#5e0970c112a6
Weaver, Andrew J. “Role of Actors’ Race in White Audiences’ Selective Exposure to Movies.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Apr. 2011, academic.oup.com/joc/article/61/2/369/4098571?login=true.
Great Job, your discussion was very informative and detailed. The movie Black Panther discussed many topics and ideas like race and social justice. The movie made a huge impact in the box office and was the first Marvel movie to bring to life a black superhero. I enjoyed the film with its action scenes and great storyline.
Excellent job on the presentation, you provided a great discussion regarding the themes and major points of interest expressed in the film. I do agree that the film crew did an excellent job in representing the African culture and avoiding the common misconceptions. I think that this movie has broken barriers for its representation of minority groups such as women and people of color. I enjoyed the film for its inclusion of scientific equipment and it was a great story with an awesome cast & crew.