Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States praised the recently released Marvel superhero film &quot;Black Panther&quot;.&nbsp;

She called the movie &quot;an inspirational piece&nbsp;of art&nbsp;that would drive people to embrace their individuality, irrespective of their culture&quot;.

Taking to Twitter, Obama wrote: &quot;Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.&quot;

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Congrats to the entire <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/blackpanther?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#blackpanther</a> team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.
&mdash; Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/965641575584935936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Black Panther&quot; is the first Marvel film to be led by a person of colour and features a virtually <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-black-panther-stars-on-the-importance-of-african-culture-in-marvel-film-31277" target="_blank">all-black </a>cast with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-sea-change-moment-chadwick-boseman-on-black-panther-success-33480" target="_blank">Chadwick&nbsp;Boseman</a>, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong&#39;o, Danai Gurira, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman among others.

Earning great reviews for its storyline, acting and presentation, Marvel&#39;s Black Panther is also proving itself at the box office -- in the US it has received the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-marvels-black-panther-collects-record-rs-1240-cr-in-opening-weekend-worldwide-33381" target="_blank">fifth-biggest opening of all time</a> by raking in a whopping $192 million (Rs 1239.45 crore) in the first weekend.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Marvel's new superhero film is different from any other released before

Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States praised the recently released Marvel superhero film "Black Panther". She called the movie "an inspirational piece of art that would drive people to embrace their individuality, irrespective of their culture". Taking to Twitter, Obama wrote: "Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories." Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories. — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 19, 2018 × "Black Panther" is the first Marvel film to be led by a person of colour and features a virtually all-black cast with Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman among others. Earning great reviews for its storyline, acting and presentation, Marvel's Black Panther is also proving itself at the box office -- in the US it has received the fifth-biggest opening of all time by raking in a whopping $192 million (Rs 1239.45 crore) in the first weekend.

Michelle Obama on 'Black Panther': People will finally see superheroes that look like them

Los Angeles: Actor Chadwick Boseman believes the success of &quot;Black Panther&quot; has led to a moment of reckoning in the entertainment industry as it has forced people to change their attitudes towards black people and their stories.

The 41-year-old actor, who portrays Marvel&#39;s first black superhero, channelled the character&#39;s spirit on the Rolling Stone cover for which he went shirtless. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a sea-change moment,&quot; Boseman told the magazine. 
 
&quot;I still remember the excitement people had seeing Malcolm X. And this is greater, because it includes other people, too,&quot; he added. 
 
Boseman also talked about the Hollywood double-standards where the producers would go to great lengths to find an immensely talented white actor but do not make the same commitment to find an equally talented black actor. 
&quot;Every year, agents fly to Australia to find the next great white actor. But where are they taking 14-hour flights to find the next black person?&quot; Boseman said. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a lot of great things happening. If you think about Barry (Jenkins), Ava (DuVernay), Ryan (Coogler) &ndash; it&#39;s a renaissance of black film. But it&#39;s still not enough. It&#39;s a numbers thing. If you have 15 shots, I got three. If you have nine chances to mess up, I have one. Each one of us knows that if you mess up, your career is done. I see the intensity. I see how Ryan is. If you have a dud, you&#39;ll never work in this town again,&quot; he added. 
 
He believes the black culture has an abundance of stories that can be showed on-screen, yet are still untouched. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a plethora of stories in our culture that haven&#39;t been told because Hollywood didn&#39;t believe they were viable. It would be cool to see slices of history that you haven&#39;t seen with African figures. 
 
&quot;Like Africans in Europe - the Moors in Spain. Or if you go to Portugal, they have statues of black people all over the place. So not only have we been here. But we&#39;ve directly affected everything that you think is European,&quot; Boseman said. 
 
He also acknowledged the budget and manpower that went into the making of the film given it has a virtually all-black star cast. 
 
&quot;The money and manpower it takes to create this entire African world -- it&#39;s a huge production. But this is not Star Wars --this is a black superhero movie!&quot; he said. 
 
Boseman said what appealed to him in the film was that it had predominately black actors and was set in Africa. 
 
&quot;Some (black) actors will say, &#39;I don&#39;t want to play a character just because he&#39;s black.&#39; And that&#39;s great, I&#39;m not saying they&#39;re wrong. But that&#39;s missing all the richness that&#39;s been whitewashed,&quot; he added. PTI RB SHD BK 20021329

He believes the black culture has an abundance of stories that can be showed on-screen, yet are still untouched.

Los Angeles: Actor Chadwick Boseman believes the success of "Black Panther" has led to a moment of reckoning in the entertainment industry as it has forced people to change their attitudes towards black people and their stories. The 41-year-old actor, who portrays Marvel's first black superhero, channelled the character's spirit on the Rolling Stone cover for which he went shirtless. "It's a sea-change moment," Boseman told the magazine. "I still remember the excitement people had seeing Malcolm X. And this is greater, because it includes other people, too," he added. Boseman also talked about the Hollywood double-standards where the producers would go to great lengths to find an immensely talented white actor but do not make the same commitment to find an equally talented black actor. "Every year, agents fly to Australia to find the next great white actor. But where are they taking 14-hour flights to find the next black person?" Boseman said. "There's a lot of great things happening. If you think about Barry (Jenkins), Ava (DuVernay), Ryan (Coogler) – it's a renaissance of black film. But it's still not enough. It's a numbers thing. If you have 15 shots, I got three. If you have nine chances to mess up, I have one. Each one of us knows that if you mess up, your career is done. I see the intensity. I see how Ryan is. If you have a dud, you'll never work in this town again," he added. He believes the black culture has an abundance of stories that can be showed on-screen, yet are still untouched. "There's a plethora of stories in our culture that haven't been told because Hollywood didn't believe they were viable. It would be cool to see slices of history that you haven't seen with African figures. "Like Africans in Europe - the Moors in Spain. Or if you go to Portugal, they have statues of black people all over the place. So not only have we been here. But we've directly affected everything that you think is European," Boseman said. He also acknowledged the budget and manpower that went into the making of the film given it has a virtually all-black star cast. "The money and manpower it takes to create this entire African world -- it's a huge production. But this is not Star Wars --this is a black superhero movie!" he said. Boseman said what appealed to him in the film was that it had predominately black actors and was set in Africa. "Some (black) actors will say, 'I don't want to play a character just because he's black.' And that's great, I'm not saying they're wrong. But that's missing all the richness that's been whitewashed," he added. PTI RB SHD BK 20021329

Sea-change moment: Chadwick Boseman on 'Black Panther' success

Even as Marvel Cinematic Universe&#39;s latest offering Black Panther is being celebrated for bringing in a cultural change, our very own Censor Board has found something &#39;objectionable&#39; in the film. According to media reports,the CBFC reportedly muted the word &#39;Hanuman&#39; from the Ryan Coogler-directed film

In the film, King T&#39;Challa&#39;s rival was M&#39;Baku, the head of the Jabari tribe which prays to Hanuman. In one of the scenes, M&#39;Baku says &#39;Glory to Hanuman&#39; which was muted by the Censor board to avoid &#39;hurting religious sentiments&#39;.&nbsp;

Winston Duke, the actor who plays M&#39;Baku in the film, in an interview to Variety Magazine spoke about the importance of understanding and contextualizing of the Jabari tribe&#39;s religious beliefs in order to avoid negative perception.&quot;They haven&rsquo;t been affected by colonialism and all the narratives that are associated with developing a sense of inferiority and people comparing them to animals. To them, this is just who they pray to, and they find their strength and agency in this religion. So being a bit gorilla-influenced was a sense of pride for them,&quot; he said.

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A still from Black Panther featuring the Jabari tribe. (Others)
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Interestingly, in the comic, the Jabari tribe is showed to worship a Gorilla-God which in the film was changed to being a worshipper of Hanuman.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/black-panther-review-the-film-claws-its-way-into-the-white-dominated-superhero-universe-33034">Also read: Black Panther review</a> 
 
The &#39;Hanuman&#39; reference could have been a nod to Marvel&#39;s enormous fan base in India but unfortunately, the CBFC felt it may be taken the wrong way.&nbsp; 
 
Black Panther features Chadwick Boseman in the titular character and is the first Superhero film with a complete non-white cast.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Even as Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest offering Black Panther is being celebrated for bringing in a cultural change, our very own Censor Board has found something 'objectionable' in the film. According to media reports,the CBFC reportedly muted the word 'Hanuman' from the Ryan Coogler-directed film In the film, King T'Challa's rival was M'Baku, the head of the Jabari tribe which prays to Hanuman. In one of the scenes, M'Baku says 'Glory to Hanuman' which was muted by the Censor board to avoid 'hurting religious sentiments'. Winston Duke, the actor who plays M'Baku in the film, in an interview to Variety Magazine spoke about the importance of understanding and contextualizing of the Jabari tribe's religious beliefs in order to avoid negative perception."They haven’t been affected by colonialism and all the narratives that are associated with developing a sense of inferiority and people comparing them to animals. To them, this is just who they pray to, and they find their strength and agency in this religion. So being a bit gorilla-influenced was a sense of pride for them," he said. A still from Black Panther featuring the Jabari tribe. (Others) × Interestingly, in the comic, the Jabari tribe is showed to worship a Gorilla-God which in the film was changed to being a worshipper of Hanuman. Also read: Black Panther review The 'Hanuman' reference could have been a nod to Marvel's enormous fan base in India but unfortunately, the CBFC felt it may be taken the wrong way. Black Panther features Chadwick Boseman in the titular character and is the first Superhero film with a complete non-white cast.

Black Panther: CBFC reportedly muted 'Hanuman' reference in film

Earning great reviews for its storyline, acting and presentation, Marvel&#39;s Black Panther also proves itself at the box office.&nbsp;

With actor Chadwick Boseman in the lead role, the Disney-Marvel movie has become the highest opening Hollywood debut superhero film in India.&nbsp;The film has opened to approximately Rs 15 crore weekend at the Indian box office. This is also the biggest opening for any Hollywood film in India in 2018.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackPanther?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackPanther</a> emerged the first choice of moviegoers... Fared well in its opening weekend... Thu previews + Fri 5.60 cr, Sat 6.65 cr, Sun 7.10 cr. Total: ₹ 19.35 cr Nett BOC&hellip; Gross BOC: ₹ 24.81 cr. India biz... Note: Hindi + English.
&mdash; taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) <a href="https://twitter.com/taran_adarsh/status/965520017293901824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In the United States, the film has received&nbsp;the fifth-biggest opening of all time by raking in a whopping $192 million (Rs 1239.45 crore) in the first weekend.

Black Panther directed by&nbsp;African-American Ryan Coogler has broken all previous records.&nbsp;

Interestingly, the film&nbsp;Black Panther is the first Marvel film to be led by a person of colour -- Chadwick Boseman -- and featuring a virtually all-black cast with Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong&rsquo;o and Danai Gurira, with Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman being a few exceptions.

&nbsp;

Marvel superhero flick Black Panther has become the highest opening Hollywood debut superhero film in India

Earning great reviews for its storyline, acting and presentation, Marvel's Black Panther also proves itself at the box office. With actor Chadwick Boseman in the lead role, the Disney-Marvel movie has become the highest opening Hollywood debut superhero film in India. The film has opened to approximately Rs 15 crore weekend at the Indian box office. This is also the biggest opening for any Hollywood film in India in 2018. #BlackPanther emerged the first choice of moviegoers... Fared well in its opening weekend... Thu previews + Fri 5.60 cr, Sat 6.65 cr, Sun 7.10 cr. Total: ₹ 19.35 cr Nett BOC… Gross BOC: ₹ 24.81 cr. India biz... Note: Hindi + English. — taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) February 19, 2018 × In the United States, the film has received the fifth-biggest opening of all time by raking in a whopping $192 million (Rs 1239.45 crore) in the first weekend. Black Panther directed by African-American Ryan Coogler has broken all previous records. Interestingly, the film Black Panther is the first Marvel film to be led by a person of colour -- Chadwick Boseman -- and featuring a virtually all-black cast with Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira, with Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman being a few exceptions.

Marvel's 'Black Panther' collects record Rs 1240 cr in opening weekend worldwide

Black Panther has been creating formidable impact at the Box Office ever since it released on Friday. The film, not only is being lapped up by the masses but has also been hailed as a game-changer for Hollywood. Not the just the movie, the album for the Black Panther, featuring songs by Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, SZA, Khalid and more, has also been doing well as it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The set, which features music from and inspired by the blockbuster Marvel Studios film, garnered the biggest week for a soundtrack - in terms of total units earned - in a year and a half, reports billboard.com.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the US, based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).&nbsp;

The album includes a number of songs by Lamar, who curated and produced the hip-hop-heavy album with Top Dawg Entertainment`s founder/CEO Anthony &quot;Top Dawg&quot; Tiffith.&nbsp;

Among the 14 songs from the Black Panther: The Album, only three are heard in the film.&nbsp; 
 
Incidentally, this is the first time in Marvel Cinematic Universe history that Marvel Studios has integrated multiple original recordings specifically for a film.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the film has been doing well at the box office as well as it earned nearly $218 million in the first four days in North America.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Much like the film, Black Panther Album is also doing well.

Black Panther has been creating formidable impact at the Box Office ever since it released on Friday. The film, not only is being lapped up by the masses but has also been hailed as a game-changer for Hollywood. Not the just the movie, the album for the Black Panther, featuring songs by Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, SZA, Khalid and more, has also been doing well as it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The set, which features music from and inspired by the blockbuster Marvel Studios film, garnered the biggest week for a soundtrack - in terms of total units earned - in a year and a half, reports billboard.com. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the US, based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The album includes a number of songs by Lamar, who curated and produced the hip-hop-heavy album with Top Dawg Entertainment`s founder/CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Among the 14 songs from the Black Panther: The Album, only three are heard in the film. Incidentally, this is the first time in Marvel Cinematic Universe history that Marvel Studios has integrated multiple original recordings specifically for a film. Meanwhile, the film has been doing well at the box office as well as it earned nearly $218 million in the first four days in North America.

Black Panther's album tops Billboard 200 Chart

Marvel Studios&rsquo; Black Panther, released in theatres across Canada and the United States, is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit. It set records for advance ticket sales on Fandango, its soundtrack album debuted in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts and industry estimates point to opening-weekend revenues as high as US$170 million.

Director Ryan Coogler and star Chadwick Boseman appeared on the cover of the industry trade magazine Variety, while British GQ styled actor Michael B. Jordan to recall Black Panther Party activists. The red-carpet premiere made a splash on celebrity and fashion blogs, and it&rsquo;s the most-tweeted-about film of the year. Marvel&rsquo;s had big hits before. But this feels like something different.

Ahead of its time

The Black Panther, also known as King T&rsquo;Challa of Wakanda, was created as a comic book hero in 1966 by artist Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee. Although considered the first Black superhero in American comics, this is not the first time we&rsquo;ve seen a Black superhero in the cinema. Comedian Robert Townsend gave us Meteor Man in 1993, Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal portrayed the DC Comics character Steel in 1997 and Wesley Snipes starred as Blade the Vampire Hunter in three films beginning in 1998.

This is, however, the first Black-led superhero film since comic book movies became, in the words of Liam Burke, &ldquo;modern Hollywood&rsquo;s leading genre.&rdquo;

Much as T&rsquo;Challa&rsquo;s first appearance in print &mdash; in the Fantastic Four issue #52 in July 1966 &mdash; predated the founding of the Black Panther Party by a few months; the decision to bring him to the silver screen 50 years later ran ahead of major shifts in the discourse about diversity and representation in the entertainment industries.

The project was announced as part of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in October 2014, a few months before April Reign launched the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite to draw attention to the racialized economy of recognition in Hollywood, and more than a year before the #whitewashedOUT campaign focused on the casting of white actors in roles written as Asian or Asian-American. It came before Moonlight&rsquo;s dramatic win for Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards.

The sight still unseen by most, Black Panther has been embraced as a triumphant rejoinder in our long, difficult conversations about race and the legacies of colonialism and slavery. The New York Times Magazine hails it as a &ldquo;defining moment for black America,&rdquo; while the Globe and Mail say its treatment of the Black experience &ldquo;resonates across the diaspora.&rdquo;

In a short video clip I first encountered on Twitter, three young men admire the film&rsquo;s poster, exclaiming, &ldquo;This is what y&rsquo;all feel all the time? I would love this country, too.&rdquo; Activists, educators and scholars from racialized communities have long raised concerns about under-representation and stereotyping in the media and their impact on self-esteem and identity.

While it is difficult to draw a direct, causal line from watching a movie to an improved sense of self-worth or well-being, it is undeniable that Black Panther &mdash;with its nearly all-Black cast, stylish use of hip-hop, lush costuming, and setting in the proudly uncolonized, technologically advanced nation of Wakanda &mdash;is giving many of us who have felt under-served by Hollywood a language with which to speak our aspirations.

Box office politics

While echoing the broad picture of under-representation, research conducted by Darnell Hunt, Ana-Christina Ram&oacute;n, and Michael Tran at UCLA&rsquo;s Ralph Bunche Centre for African American Studies also points to the positive incentives towards diversity. Canada and the U.S., which together make up the &ldquo;domestic&rdquo; film market, are becoming more diverse, and young people, who are the biggest purchasers of cinema tickets, are the most diverse of all.

As a result, according to Hunt, Ram&oacute;n and Tran, films with diverse casts have higher global box returns and higher returns on investment. In a New York Times roundtable, Coogler suggested that commercial media production provided a space that could harmonize marginalized communities&rsquo; aspirations for representation with economic imperatives:

They say it&rsquo;s the studio system, but it&rsquo;s really the people system. It&rsquo;s who&rsquo;s running the studio? How are they running it? When you look at Disney with [Tendo Nagenda, executive vice president for production at Walt Disney Studios, and Nate Moore, a producer at Marvel Studios and an executive producer of &ldquo;Black Panther&rdquo;], it&rsquo;s a place that&rsquo;s interested in representation, not just for the sake of representation, but representation because that&rsquo;s what works, that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s going to make quality stuff that the world is going to embrace, that&rsquo;s what leads to success.

Black Panther is a case in point. Coogler and his stars speak movingly about the experience of making this film and what it means to them as African-Americans with more or less immediate connections to Africa. But, at the same time, the studio&rsquo;s embrace of diversity is also a highly strategic move &mdash; 18 films into their mega-franchise.

While some critics have begun to call out the ossifying house style of &ldquo;Marvel movies,&rdquo; Coogler (like Taika Waititi, director of the recent Thor: Ragnarok) brings a distinctive aesthetic sensibility and critical reputation to bear. The studio may have gambled that the Black film-goers who supported recent films like Hidden Figures and Get Out would pick up the slack as producers reach deeper and deeper into Marvel Comics&rsquo; catalog for characters with less existing brand recognition.

We have yet to see if the increasingly vital international audiences &mdash; often rhetorically brought up by studio executives as the obstacle to more diverse casting &mdash; will also respond positively?

Marvel Studios and Disney did not make Black Panther in order to say something about race in America. It is, rather, a product designed to fit into a series, offering familiar pleasures with enough difference to keep the whole franchise interesting.

Yet, it arrives at a moment of possibility. Creators involved in its production, at the studio and on set, as well as audiences, have transformed it into a referendum on representation.

Putting different faces on movie screens will not solve all our problems, yet the Black Panther phenomenon demonstrates that people are crying out for chances to see themselves and their communities portrayed with dignity and diversity &mdash;as heroes, villains and everyone in between. Will the executives who control the purse strings listen?

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL

With its nearly all-Black cast, stylish use of hip-hop, lush costuming, and setting in the proudly uncolonized, technologically advanced nation of Wakanda, Black Panther is giving many of us a language with which to speak our aspirations.

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, released in theatres across Canada and the United States, is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit. It set records for advance ticket sales on Fandango, its soundtrack album debuted in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts and industry estimates point to opening-weekend revenues as high as US$170 million. Director Ryan Coogler and star Chadwick Boseman appeared on the cover of the industry trade magazine Variety, while British GQ styled actor Michael B. Jordan to recall Black Panther Party activists. The red-carpet premiere made a splash on celebrity and fashion blogs, and it’s the most-tweeted-about film of the year. Marvel’s had big hits before. But this feels like something different. Ahead of its time The Black Panther, also known as King T’Challa of Wakanda, was created as a comic book hero in 1966 by artist Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee. Although considered the first Black superhero in American comics, this is not the first time we’ve seen a Black superhero in the cinema. Comedian Robert Townsend gave us Meteor Man in 1993, Shaquille O’Neal portrayed the DC Comics character Steel in 1997 and Wesley Snipes starred as Blade the Vampire Hunter in three films beginning in 1998. This is, however, the first Black-led superhero film since comic book movies became, in the words of Liam Burke, “modern Hollywood’s leading genre.” Much as T’Challa’s first appearance in print — in the Fantastic Four issue #52 in July 1966 — predated the founding of the Black Panther Party by a few months; the decision to bring him to the silver screen 50 years later ran ahead of major shifts in the discourse about diversity and representation in the entertainment industries. The project was announced as part of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in October 2014, a few months before April Reign launched the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite to draw attention to the racialized economy of recognition in Hollywood, and more than a year before the #whitewashedOUT campaign focused on the casting of white actors in roles written as Asian or Asian-American. It came before Moonlight’s dramatic win for Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards. The sight still unseen by most, Black Panther has been embraced as a triumphant rejoinder in our long, difficult conversations about race and the legacies of colonialism and slavery. The New York Times Magazine hails it as a “defining moment for black America,” while the Globe and Mail say its treatment of the Black experience “resonates across the diaspora.” In a short video clip I first encountered on Twitter, three young men admire the film’s poster, exclaiming, “This is what y’all feel all the time? I would love this country, too.” Activists, educators and scholars from racialized communities have long raised concerns about under-representation and stereotyping in the media and their impact on self-esteem and identity. While it is difficult to draw a direct, causal line from watching a movie to an improved sense of self-worth or well-being, it is undeniable that Black Panther —with its nearly all-Black cast, stylish use of hip-hop, lush costuming, and setting in the proudly uncolonized, technologically advanced nation of Wakanda —is giving many of us who have felt under-served by Hollywood a language with which to speak our aspirations. Box office politics While echoing the broad picture of under-representation, research conducted by Darnell Hunt, Ana-Christina Ramón, and Michael Tran at UCLA’s Ralph Bunche Centre for African American Studies also points to the positive incentives towards diversity. Canada and the U.S., which together make up the “domestic” film market, are becoming more diverse, and young people, who are the biggest purchasers of cinema tickets, are the most diverse of all. As a result, according to Hunt, Ramón and Tran, films with diverse casts have higher global box returns and higher returns on investment. In a New York Times roundtable, Coogler suggested that commercial media production provided a space that could harmonize marginalized communities’ aspirations for representation with economic imperatives: They say it’s the studio system, but it’s really the people system. It’s who’s running the studio? How are they running it? When you look at Disney with [Tendo Nagenda, executive vice president for production at Walt Disney Studios, and Nate Moore, a producer at Marvel Studios and an executive producer of “Black Panther”], it’s a place that’s interested in representation, not just for the sake of representation, but representation because that’s what works, that’s what’s going to make quality stuff that the world is going to embrace, that’s what leads to success. Black Panther is a case in point. Coogler and his stars speak movingly about the experience of making this film and what it means to them as African-Americans with more or less immediate connections to Africa. But, at the same time, the studio’s embrace of diversity is also a highly strategic move — 18 films into their mega-franchise. While some critics have begun to call out the ossifying house style of “Marvel movies,” Coogler (like Taika Waititi, director of the recent Thor: Ragnarok) brings a distinctive aesthetic sensibility and critical reputation to bear. The studio may have gambled that the Black film-goers who supported recent films like Hidden Figures and Get Out would pick up the slack as producers reach deeper and deeper into Marvel Comics’ catalog for characters with less existing brand recognition. We have yet to see if the increasingly vital international audiences — often rhetorically brought up by studio executives as the obstacle to more diverse casting — will also respond positively? Marvel Studios and Disney did not make Black Panther in order to say something about race in America. It is, rather, a product designed to fit into a series, offering familiar pleasures with enough difference to keep the whole franchise interesting. Yet, it arrives at a moment of possibility. Creators involved in its production, at the studio and on set, as well as audiences, have transformed it into a referendum on representation. Putting different faces on movie screens will not solve all our problems, yet the Black Panther phenomenon demonstrates that people are crying out for chances to see themselves and their communities portrayed with dignity and diversity —as heroes, villains and everyone in between. Will the executives who control the purse strings listen? (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL

Opinion: Why the film Black Panther is guaranteed to be a hit

The past few years have witnessed a gamut of superhero film from Marvel and DC comics. Some have been known, some introduced in the cinematic universe for the first time. Most superhero films, in fact, follow the same trajectory. An individual with extraordinary superpowers fighting the evil who is hell bent upon disrupting world peace and claim dominance over it. It is then left upon our superhero, to save the world and thereby save the humanity. This is the main crux of every superhero film. But Marvel Cinematic Universe&#39;s latest offering, Black Panther, stands out as it not only introduces the first non-white superhero but also lets its main protagonist search deeper within as he fights one of his own.&nbsp; 
 
Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther is the 18th Marvel film and perhaps, culturally, the most relevant of them all. Based on the comic book character that was first introduced in 1966, Black Panther narrates the story a fictional land called Wakanda- a remote area in Africa surrounded by hills all around. The country which secretly survives and advances because of its vast reserve of the world&#39;s most powerful metal vibranium,&nbsp;but projects a completely different life to the world outside. Termed as a &#39;third world country&#39; by the the world, Wakanda in reality is light years ahead.&nbsp; 
 
The kingdom&#39;s newly appointed King T&#39;Challa (Chadwick Boseman) or the Black Panther is entrusted with an important mission soon after his elaborate coronation. He has to go fetch Ulysses Klaue(Andy Serkis), a villainous arms dealer who has breached the defenses of Wakanda. The pursuit of Klaue takes him to Busan, South Korea along with his general Okoye(Danai Gurira) and Nakia(Lupita Nyong&#39;o) - a Wakanda spy and his ex. And though they manage to capture Klaue with a bit of help from a CIA Agent Ross(Martin Freeman), Klaue manages to escape while in custody with the help of an ex CIA agent Eric(Michael B Jordan) who goes by the name of &#39;Killmonger&#39;.

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Michael B Jordan and Chadwick Boseman in a still from the Black Panther (Others)
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It turns out that Eric is the son of a Wakanda rogue who broke away from the kingdom years ago and was eventually killed. Eric is now back in his land, to seek revenge and claim what he rightfully thinks is his own. And thus begins a journey of fighting one&#39;s own for T&#39;Challa, who is conflicted within- whether to fight back or meekly give in for he feels he and his forefathers have wronged Eric.&nbsp; 
 
The canvas, of course, is massive. And Coogler brings out the vibrant African culture to the fore and infuses it with technical advancement. Wakanda is a utopian land, where the people are steeped in&nbsp;culture&nbsp;yet are one of the most advanced nations in the world thanks to the wealth, the vast reserve of vibranium which powers practically everything around them. There also lies conflicting opinion within Wakanda on how one should use their wealth and resources. One group believes that they should remain allusive- not revealing to the world their strength. While the other feels the wealth can be helped in eradicating poverty of fellow African brothers. And T&#39;Challa treads into an unknown role where he has to be the just king and be true to his ancestry but also carve his own path. 
 
One of the biggest strength of Black Panther is its stellar star cast. Be the lead or the delightful cameos, it&#39;s a delight to watch such talented cast come together for a film. Chadwick Boseman plays the titular character with restraint. Like most stand-alone superhero films, Boseman&#39;s character is conflicted within, burdened by the great responsibilities that have been bestowed upon him. Boseman plays the righteous Black Panther with absolute ease.&nbsp;

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A scene from Black Panther. (Others)
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Black Panther also has the incredible Lupita Nyong&#39;o playing T&#39;Challa&#39;s ex who not just proves to be an able warrior in times of crisis but also serves as T&#39;Challa&#39;s inner voice and conscience keeper. The film has Michael B Jordan who plays the jilted, conflicted Eric with absolute panache and it has Danai Gurira as Okoye, one of the best written female characters in any superhero film. She is feisty, loyal and full of spunk!&nbsp; 
 
In fact, Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole make you root for the female characters more. Okoye, Nakia, and T&#39;Challa&#39;s sister Shuri(Letitia Wright)- the brain behind all the technological advancement in the land - are strong women, and are a delight to watch on the screen. These characters are not there to add glamour, but they play an important part in the narrative.&nbsp;

Since its the first break out film for the comic book hero, a lot of the film is spent in establishing his story which can be a bit tedious after a point. The superhero action scenes are therefore restricted to only certain parts. Nevertheless, they manage to thrill. Especially the chase scene on the streets of Busan where the audience gets the first glimpse of Black Panther&#39;s incredible superpowers.&nbsp;

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A still from Black Panther. (Others)
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Laced with subtle humour, the film also highlights that how the world is mostly ignorant about Africa and its people. It also briefly touches upon the monumental movement of the 1960s that took place in America and how it change the political landscape of the country forever.

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xjDjIWPwcPU" width="560"></iframe> 
 
Above all, Black Panther should be lauded for bringing in a change. It is not as fun as previous year&#39;s Thor:Ragnarok&nbsp;but it is a relevant film for the present times. While it doesn&#39;t even come close to end the white supremacy in the superhero universe, it surely breaks the monotony by opening up the culturally rich Africa to the world. Hopefully, this too will become a successful franchise in the coming years and compel people to think beyond the usual.&nbsp; 
 
Ratings: 3/5

Black Panther is culturally relevant with a stellar star cast.

The past few years have witnessed a gamut of superhero film from Marvel and DC comics. Some have been known, some introduced in the cinematic universe for the first time. Most superhero films, in fact, follow the same trajectory. An individual with extraordinary superpowers fighting the evil who is hell bent upon disrupting world peace and claim dominance over it. It is then left upon our superhero, to save the world and thereby save the humanity. This is the main crux of every superhero film. But Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest offering, Black Panther, stands out as it not only introduces the first non-white superhero but also lets its main protagonist search deeper within as he fights one of his own. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther is the 18th Marvel film and perhaps, culturally, the most relevant of them all. Based on the comic book character that was first introduced in 1966, Black Panther narrates the story a fictional land called Wakanda- a remote area in Africa surrounded by hills all around. The country which secretly survives and advances because of its vast reserve of the world's most powerful metal vibranium, but projects a completely different life to the world outside. Termed as a 'third world country' by the the world, Wakanda in reality is light years ahead. The kingdom's newly appointed King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) or the Black Panther is entrusted with an important mission soon after his elaborate coronation. He has to go fetch Ulysses Klaue(Andy Serkis), a villainous arms dealer who has breached the defenses of Wakanda. The pursuit of Klaue takes him to Busan, South Korea along with his general Okoye(Danai Gurira) and Nakia(Lupita Nyong'o) - a Wakanda spy and his ex. And though they manage to capture Klaue with a bit of help from a CIA Agent Ross(Martin Freeman), Klaue manages to escape while in custody with the help of an ex CIA agent Eric(Michael B Jordan) who goes by the name of 'Killmonger'. Michael B Jordan and Chadwick Boseman in a still from the Black Panther (Others) × It turns out that Eric is the son of a Wakanda rogue who broke away from the kingdom years ago and was eventually killed. Eric is now back in his land, to seek revenge and claim what he rightfully thinks is his own. And thus begins a journey of fighting one's own for T'Challa, who is conflicted within- whether to fight back or meekly give in for he feels he and his forefathers have wronged Eric. The canvas, of course, is massive. And Coogler brings out the vibrant African culture to the fore and infuses it with technical advancement. Wakanda is a utopian land, where the people are steeped in culture yet are one of the most advanced nations in the world thanks to the wealth, the vast reserve of vibranium which powers practically everything around them. There also lies conflicting opinion within Wakanda on how one should use their wealth and resources. One group believes that they should remain allusive- not revealing to the world their strength. While the other feels the wealth can be helped in eradicating poverty of fellow African brothers. And T'Challa treads into an unknown role where he has to be the just king and be true to his ancestry but also carve his own path. One of the biggest strength of Black Panther is its stellar star cast. Be the lead or the delightful cameos, it's a delight to watch such talented cast come together for a film. Chadwick Boseman plays the titular character with restraint. Like most stand-alone superhero films, Boseman's character is conflicted within, burdened by the great responsibilities that have been bestowed upon him. Boseman plays the righteous Black Panther with absolute ease. A scene from Black Panther. (Others) × Black Panther also has the incredible Lupita Nyong'o playing T'Challa's ex who not just proves to be an able warrior in times of crisis but also serves as T'Challa's inner voice and conscience keeper. The film has Michael B Jordan who plays the jilted, conflicted Eric with absolute panache and it has Danai Gurira as Okoye, one of the best written female characters in any superhero film. She is feisty, loyal and full of spunk! In fact, Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole make you root for the female characters more. Okoye, Nakia, and T'Challa's sister Shuri(Letitia Wright)- the brain behind all the technological advancement in the land - are strong women, and are a delight to watch on the screen. These characters are not there to add glamour, but they play an important part in the narrative. Since its the first break out film for the comic book hero, a lot of the film is spent in establishing his story which can be a bit tedious after a point. The superhero action scenes are therefore restricted to only certain parts. Nevertheless, they manage to thrill. Especially the chase scene on the streets of Busan where the audience gets the first glimpse of Black Panther's incredible superpowers. A still from Black Panther. (Others) × Laced with subtle humour, the film also highlights that how the world is mostly ignorant about Africa and its people. It also briefly touches upon the monumental movement of the 1960s that took place in America and how it change the political landscape of the country forever. Above all, Black Panther should be lauded for bringing in a change. It is not as fun as previous year's Thor:Ragnarok but it is a relevant film for the present times. While it doesn't even come close to end the white supremacy in the superhero universe, it surely breaks the monotony by opening up the culturally rich Africa to the world. Hopefully, this too will become a successful franchise in the coming years and compel people to think beyond the usual. Ratings: 3/5

Black Panther review: The film claws its way into the white-dominated superhero universe

The stars of Black Panther&nbsp;dressed in their finest African-inspired royal attire and spoke about the importance of representing a black superhero story on screen at the premiere of the new film from Walt Disney Co`s Marvel Entertainment. 
 
Chadwick Boseman, who plays T`Challa, the titular hero and king of fictional African nation Wakanda, led his co-stars including Lupita Nyong`o, Daniel Kaluuya, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett, on the purple carpet on Monday. 
 
&quot;Something like Marvel has a way of really affecting popular culture, and to have that popular culture informed with things that are of African origin and people knowing they are of African origin ... is powerful,&quot; Nyong`o, who plays warrior Nakia, told Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Hopefully it changes the general idea of what being an African is. Too often times we see Africa as a place that is wanting and here it`s a place that you want to go,&quot; she said. 
 
The Oscar-winning actress matched the purple carpet in an amethyst-hued Versace gown with gold-detailed shoulders and belt. Gurira wore a bright pink Viktor &amp; Rolf dress with a dramatic shoulder ruffle, and Bassett opted for a golden yellow Naeem Khan fringe jumpsuit.&nbsp; 
 
The men also served up colorful looks. Boseman rocked a gilded print Emporio Armani suit, actor Donald Glover opted for a tangerine Dolce &amp; Gabbana suit, and the film`s director, Ryan Coogler, added a printed scarf to his black Ikire Jones suit, a Philadelphia label that draws from West African influences.&nbsp; 
 
Black Panther,&nbsp;out in theaters on Feb. 16, earned rave early reactions from attendees at the premiere, including Guardians of the Galaxy&nbsp;director James Gunn, who praised the film as an &quot;extraordinary work.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It`s just filled with so much talent, so much beauty, the aesthetic of it is so pleasing and so black and Afro-centric and African and modern and worldly and futuristic. You know, it`s got a lot of swag. This movie is on fire,&quot; said Bassett, who plays T`Challa`s mother.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The stars of Black Panther dressed in their finest African-inspired royal attire and spoke about the importance of representing a black superhero story on screen at the premiere of the new film

The stars of Black Panther dressed in their finest African-inspired royal attire and spoke about the importance of representing a black superhero story on screen at the premiere of the new film from Walt Disney Co`s Marvel Entertainment. Chadwick Boseman, who plays T`Challa, the titular hero and king of fictional African nation Wakanda, led his co-stars including Lupita Nyong`o, Daniel Kaluuya, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett, on the purple carpet on Monday. "Something like Marvel has a way of really affecting popular culture, and to have that popular culture informed with things that are of African origin and people knowing they are of African origin ... is powerful," Nyong`o, who plays warrior Nakia, told Reuters. "Hopefully it changes the general idea of what being an African is. Too often times we see Africa as a place that is wanting and here it`s a place that you want to go," she said. The Oscar-winning actress matched the purple carpet in an amethyst-hued Versace gown with gold-detailed shoulders and belt. Gurira wore a bright pink Viktor & Rolf dress with a dramatic shoulder ruffle, and Bassett opted for a golden yellow Naeem Khan fringe jumpsuit. The men also served up colorful looks. Boseman rocked a gilded print Emporio Armani suit, actor Donald Glover opted for a tangerine Dolce & Gabbana suit, and the film`s director, Ryan Coogler, added a printed scarf to his black Ikire Jones suit, a Philadelphia label that draws from West African influences. Black Panther, out in theaters on Feb. 16, earned rave early reactions from attendees at the premiere, including Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who praised the film as an "extraordinary work." "It`s just filled with so much talent, so much beauty, the aesthetic of it is so pleasing and so black and Afro-centric and African and modern and worldly and futuristic. You know, it`s got a lot of swag. This movie is on fire," said Bassett, who plays T`Challa`s mother.

'Black Panther' stars on the importance of African culture in a Marvel film

Marvel Studios announced on Thursday that filming had begun on its latest superhero epic which for the first time will feature a black actor, Chadwick Boseman, in the titular role.

The news comes just after a record number of black actors were nominated for this year&#39;s Oscars and as Hollywood pushes for more diversity.

Boseman will play the lead role in the hotly anticipated &quot;Black Panther&quot; alongside a star-studded cast including Michael B. Jordan, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong&#39;o, Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker.

The film follows the events after 2016&#39;s &quot;Captain America: Civil War,&quot; in which Boseman appeared as Marvel&#39;s first African superhero, but not in the lead role.

The movie was the year&#39;s biggest box office hit, amassing $1.15 billion worldwide.

In &quot;Black Panther,&quot; T&#39;Challa (Boseman) returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as its king, Marvel said in a statement.

&quot;However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T&#39;Challa&#39;s mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk,&quot; it added.

&quot;Black Panther,&quot; which is being filmed in Atlanta and South Korea, is scheduled for release in February of next year.

(AFP)

Chadwick Boseman will essay the role of T'Challa in the Black Panther movie which will follow the events of 'Captain America: Civil War'

Marvel Studios announced on Thursday that filming had begun on its latest superhero epic which for the first time will feature a black actor, Chadwick Boseman, in the titular role. The news comes just after a record number of black actors were nominated for this year's Oscars and as Hollywood pushes for more diversity. Boseman will play the lead role in the hotly anticipated "Black Panther" alongside a star-studded cast including Michael B. Jordan, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker. The film follows the events after 2016's "Captain America: Civil War," in which Boseman appeared as Marvel's first African superhero, but not in the lead role. The movie was the year's biggest box office hit, amassing $1.15 billion worldwide. In "Black Panther," T'Challa (Boseman) returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as its king, Marvel said in a statement. "However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T'Challa's mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk," it added. "Black Panther," which is being filmed in Atlanta and South Korea, is scheduled for release in February of next year. (AFP)

Filming begins for first Marvel superhero movie with black actor in lead

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