Black Panther Dominates at the Box Office

Natalie Valiente, Staff Writer

Black Panther, the movie we all have been waiting for was released on February 16, 2018. Selling at a record- breaking $200 million dollars in box offices – just for it’s three day weekend debut – was rated 7.9 out of 10 on IMDb and earned a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Many viewers highly anticipated the release date due to the fact that the cast was composed of primarily African Americans and people of color, something Marvel is hoping to expand on. Some of the main actors were Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong’o.

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

The story begins following the event in Captain America: Civil War where king T’Chaka was killed leaving his son, T’Challa, as well as his superhero alter ego, Black Panther, to the throne. T’Challa returns to Wakanda, an incredibly advanced a country isolated from the rest of the world, to be crowned king. Wakanda is also home to Vibranium, a rare ore that is used for most of the country’s technology and weapons. Back in the United States, Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) works with Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to steal Vibranium which they intend to sell. In a turn of events Erik kills Klaue, flies to Wakanda, and challenges King T’Challa to the throne, revealing that he is in fact entitled to the crown since his father was King T’Chaka’s brother. Now King T’Challa has to protect his country and regain the throne

Senior Jaylen Mathews said he bought tickets the week before because he “knew that seats were going to to go fast.” After watching the movie he says it was “worth the wait.” Junior Olivia Hubbard said that it was “about time a diverse cast is featured in a superhero movie.” She also mentioned going to watch the movie a second time.

In my opinion, Black Panther was another great Marvel movie. It was interesting to see a main character who wasn’t white. It was definitely action-packed and filled with complex conflicts within many characters. After staying for the post credits, I am excited to see how Black Panther will connect with Avengers: Infinity War in May. The movie is worth the watch.