Black Panther Breaks Box Office Records

The Ryan Coogler-directed "Black Panther" has set a new box office record with an estimated $192 million for its three-day debut in North America.

Disney and Marvel Studios' "Black Panther," starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan, earned the highest debut ever for a February film and the fifth biggest opening of all time among other box office records, according to CNN Money, which added that it's also the largest opening for an African-American director.

The February opening record previously belonged to "Deadpool," which brought in $132 million in 2016.

Media measurement and analytics company comScore called the film an "important milestone."

"'Black Panther' exceeded even the grandest box office expectations while simultaneously breaking down cinematic barriers and marking a turning point in the evolution of the genre," comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian was quoted as saying.

The film challenges the Hollywood notion that "actors and directors of color are less bankable than their white male counterparts," notes Forbes.

Rotten Tomatoes has given it a rating of 97 percent. "'Black Panther' elevates superhero cinema to thrilling new heights while telling one of the MCU's most absorbing stories — and introducing some of its most fully realized characters," it says.

The superhero movie "proved surprisingly religious," PJ Media's Tyler O'Neil wrote in an op-ed. "'Black Panther' showed main characters praying to religious beings who remained offscreen, or invoking their aid against one another," he explained.

Focus on the Family's Plugged In review noted that while some of the film's themes "echo Christian ideas and values, the movie's explicit spiritual framework is rooted in another mythos" (people pray to ancestors and praise the panther god, Bast).

Still, some Christians, including gospel music veteran Kirk Franklin, expressed support for the film, saying it represents hope for a community of people.

The film is about five African tribes warring over a meteorite of the alien metal vibranium centuries ago.   A warrior consumes a "heart-shaped herb" affected by the metal and receives superhuman abilities, becoming the first "Black Panther." The superhero then unites the tribes as one nation, Wakanda. However, the Jabari Tribe refuses to follow. The Wakandans exploit the vibranium for technological advancements and isolate themselves from the rest of the world by posing as a Third World country, as the film progresses.

I'm a huge fan of D.C. Comics. I think their characters are more legendary and creative than Marvel.

I read a lot of super-hero comics as a kid, and over all I preferred Marvel. The only DC characters that strike me as legendary are Superman and Batman. Movie-wise, I thought Man of Steel was boring, but I thought Batman v Superman (director's cut) was decent, and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot!) was quite good. Even though I preferred Marvel comics, I have grown bored with the Marvel movie franchise. I never cared for the movie version of Thor, which made him sort of a dumb jock. I'm kind of tired of modern super-hero movies making too big a deal about where the super-hero fits into modern society. I preferred the approach they took in Christopher Reeve's first outing, in which the world was grateful to have such a hero in their midst, and when Superman fought for "truth, justice and the American way".

I was never interested in Black Panther as a Marvel character. I also never cared for Dr. Strange.

Anyone in this day and age pearl clutches about racism on Free Republic is clueless

Do this favor for yourself

Go on reddit or twitter or any other forum platform and just scan what self professed minorities and especially blacks have to say about whites over any topic that’ involves whites as victims of blacks

You’ll quit fretting about your view of racism as original sin

I already knew this just considering my 60 years of living in areas with large or majority black populations and watching it mostly degenerate

Early on indeed I too wanted to help them help themselves and had empathy for those actually discriminated against or who had suffered violence at the hands of actual white supremacists like Sam Bowers where I lived

My father and grandfather were active in the moderate response to the klan and refused to join he Citizens Council even though my grandpa was what folks use to call rich....and I was spanked for saying nigger.....now how it’s part of daily black vernacular they use with abandon
Ike homosexuals say queer or fag but you better not unless you are one

My dad and grandpa helped rebuild Vernon Dahmers burned down house near Hattiesburg after the requests of Pete Frierson who owned a local building supply store and was a deacon and deer and dive hunting friend of our families

But bear in mind they were all Goldwater men and eschewed the civil rights legislation which prompted the Great Society overreach in my view

I know it sounds like “but I have black friends “.....actually not many these days and two work for me

It hasn’t turned out too good in my opinion since...it’s like the bad element in black culture is in firm control now baring exceptions

You may not recall the old canard “well when there are enough in middle class they’ll act like us and share our views of civilization and culture”

That didn’t happen...we sadly absorbed those same bad features that now dominate them like illegitimacy .....the real culprit of most of this

Pre 1962 it was 1-2 percent for whites and 20-25% for blacks

Not it’s 25 percent for whites and 65-85 percent for blacks depending who you listen too....blacks used to have big fun weddings same as blacks.....now it’s mostly Tyler Perry fantasy or waspy blacks in Town and Country.

Their group behavior even though always laggard and problematic was better then before desegregation and the Great Society than now...

I lived this experience in a black majority city during segregation when anywhere was safe....imagine that for a second....it’s impossible to envision today int it.....like a fantasy

We tolerate as a whole society or culture today the same degeneration they once just tolerated in pockets of themselves...nay we don’t tolerate it we celebrate and applaud it and accommodate it either because it appeals to our own base idesires or from fear of being called racist

And now that minorities in general are gaining steam to outnumber whites soon here and in Europe they are telegraphing their intentions

And it’s not pretty and we are fooling ourselves....imagine angry minirities being 60-70 percent of American population

We’ll be dependent as whites on Asians or orientals or whatever you’d like to calll them to save us

History is replete with how minorities or blacks in general act when they gain power ...

It’s ugly.....Haiti ..Congo.....Rhodesia ...parts of colonial Brasil

So pay attention

Rural blacks in the cotton states tend to still be somewhat congenial is my dilettante observation these days when I’m down home since I live in Nashville area with fairly low black population for a southern city

I agree with you. But you have to remember that most of these people haven’t been to a movie in 20 years.

If you ask them, almost universally, they will say that the Passion of the Christ was the last movie they saw in a theatre.

I go to the movies a couple of times a month. I enjoy the theater experience. I like to take a couple of hours to escape into another world.

Sometimes you read the comments on this and other movie threads and you would think it work to sit an endure a movie. The racist stuff is just an added bonus.

I look at it the same way I look at racist comments I hear in the nursing home. They look at life differently, they have difference experiences, and they just don’t trust strangers.

And they especially don’t like anyone who looks different!

You really have a bad time understanding themes in general don’t you.

The whole idea was to point a mirror at American Society. Black and White. White and Black.

The message is not that blacks have been treated poorly. The message is that a country that has all the gifts from God, dropped literally in your lap, has an obligation to share them with the rest of the world—and not in a way to conquer other people...but to allow them to raise themselves up.

And really, its not that tough to understand. It was pretty hamfisted. But in the end, its a Marvel Comic movie. It was well done, visually amazing, and written so it was very funny in places.

It wasn’t the best Marvel movie. It was not the best movie of all time. But it was a solid 7.5 to 8.

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