Spotlight: Diversity goes global with "Black Panther" leading the pack

by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, March 21 (Xinhua) -- "'Black Panther' speaks to all people, not just blacks," co-star, Daniel Kaluuya told Xinhua, "It resonates with what real people are feeling,"

Kaluuya plays W'Kabi, a member of the Border Tribe and a close personal confidant of King T'Challa in the film. On a winning streak, Kaluuya recently also received a coveted "Best Actor" Oscar nomination this year for his starring role in the racially-motivated smash-hit, "Get Out."

And global sales of the film have proved him right, as it raked in 577 million U.S. dollars outside the United States, including a staggering 66.5 million dollars in just its opening weekend in China.

"Black Panther" also continued to lead North American box office, becoming the first film since 2009's "Avatar" to take the top spot for five weekends in a row. The superhero film has grossed a spectacular 605.4 million dollars in North America through Sunday, pushing its global cume to 1,182.5 million dollars, according to studio figures collected by comScore. "Black Panther" is already the 5th largest global release of a superhero tent-pole in film history.

Jeff Bock, a senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told the NYT, "I think about it like a wall crumbling," In terms of "Black Panther," no studio can say again, "Oh, black movies don't travel, overseas interest will be minimal."

China was the final market for the Disney-Marvel tent-pole's global roll-out. Opening just after China's New Year vacation ended in February, Marvel's Afrocentric hit, starring the stately Chadwick Boseman ("Captain America: Civil War") and empowered Lupita Nyong'o ("12 Years a Slave"), roared to a staggering 55 percent of China's weekend box office - the biggest Western film to open in 2018 to date.

The China market can be a difficult one to predict with any accuracy, since third and fourth tier cities often react differently from the first and second tier metropolitan centers.

But, lively interest on popular film fan rating sites like Maoyan helped increase the box office of the film, as Chinese fans accepted it as another Marvel superhero pic rather than a "minority-oriented" title.

When asked by Xinhua if he thought "Black Panther" had become something of a rallying cry for people of color, Kaluuya said, "It certainly seems to have tapped into some part of the public's consciousness. It helps people feel good about themselves."

Danai Gurira, who plays Okoye, the formidable head of the female warriors, the Dora Milaje, told Xinhua, "In a way, it's what we've been looking for."

So, what's all the hub-bub about? After all, there have been black superheros on the screen before: Who can forget Wesley's Snipes blade-wielding vampire-superhuman in "Blade" (1998), "Blade II" (2002), and "Blade Trinity" (2004), or NBA superstar, Shaquille O'Neal's, superhero turn as "Steel" in 1997?

There have also been black superheroes in studio comic book franchises, such as Academy Award-winner, Halle Berry's, star turns as two different superheroes: as Catwoman in Warner Bros'"Catwoman" (2004) and Storm in Fox-Marvel's blockbuster X-Men franchise. Hollywood royalty, Will Smith, is also a member of the double X superhero club, having played the lead in Sony's "Hancock" (2008) and Deadshot in WB's "Suicide Squad" (2017). Don Cheadle appears as War Machine in Paramount-Marvel's "Iron Man" franchise, while Anthony Mackie wings his way to glory as Falcon in their "Captain America" franchise as well.

But, all that said, never before has there been a black superhero in a black world. Black Panther is no white man's sidekick, no uber step-n-fetch it. He's the noble leader of not just an elite race of African warriors, but the leader of a civilization steeped in its own values and traditions that is technologically superior to the white world around it.

And it's had the same inspiring impact on black viewers as "Wonder Woman" has had on female viewers and "Wolf Warrior II" has had at home in China.

Said Peter DeBruge of Variety, "Until now... big-screen superheroes have traditionally been white dudes put on this earth... to defend America from its enemies... Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" is a radically different kind of comic-book movie, one with a proud Afrocentric twist, featuring a nearly all-black cast, that largely ignores the United States and focuses instead on the fictional nation of Wakanda - and guess what: Virtually everything that distinguishes 'Black Panther' from past Marvel pics works to this standalone entry's advantage."

"Marvel Studios has excelled at creating engaging, entertaining diversions... What it hasn't done is make movies that feel consequential," wrote The Verges's Bryan Bishop.

He continued, "Ryan Coogler's Black Panther is different. Not only is it a long-overdue embrace of diversity and representation, it's a film that actually has something to say..." He concluded, "It also feels like a turning point..."

"Black Panther" is indeed proving to be a game-changer. If the staggering box office success of this movie is anything to go by, that invisible Hollywood color bar could be well and truly shattered.

Quick to capitalize on the diversity market trend that runaway hits, "Wonder Woman" and "Black Panther," have kickstarted, other Hollywood studios are following suit, slotting ethnic superhero movies into their own pipelines.

Warner Brothers is leaping to the head of the pack with multiple ethnic superheroes, including: "Cyborg," starring Ray Fisher, which they premiered briefly last year in "Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice"; "Shazam," starring Dwayne Johnson, and "Aquaman" starring Pacific Islander, Jason Momoa, of "Game of Thrones" and "Conan" fame.

Fox is fielding female Hispanic superhero, "Alita: Battle Angel," into the mix, along with two other Hispanic characters, Sunpost and Dr. Cecilia Reyes, in "New Mutants,"; while Sony/Columbia is teeing up a remake of Jeff Most's "The Crow", set to star Jason Momoa and there are rumors of a "Green Hornet" reboot with an Asian star playing Green Hornet.

Ava DeVarnay was recently hired to direct WB-DC Comics Extended Universe's upcoming "New Gods," making her the first African American woman ever to be hired to direct a Hollywood studio superhero movie and the second woman ever, after Patty Jenkins, director of the runaway hit, "Wonder Woman."

Patty Jenkins told the press, "We have to do the real stories now. The world is in crisis... So, what does it really mean to be a hero? It's not just about defeating the bad guy, for most of us it's also about love and understanding and forgiveness and the complexity of life on a daily basis ... its about how to use your power as an adult, wisely and kindly." Enditem