Black Panther (2018)

[Perfect Xero]

2 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Maybe he doesn't cry over her. But the stories of mothers who would rather kill their children than have them brought back into slavery and slaves who would rather drown, where ones he was clearly taught as child. I don't really see Mom Stevens' acquiescence to being killed changes so much. If he's raised by a woman who is just as willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, he still comes across just as focused, ruthless, and broken. Both he and his mother were raised in America, which on the surface promises opportunity, but gives nothing to people of color, women, and the poor. And finally when they both had been offered an opportunity in Wakanda, Wakanda's extreme isolationist views took  N'Jobu and that opportunity from Erik and his mom.

To me killing the girlfriend, indicates that he didn't give two shits about her in the first place. And that she certainly wasn't nearly as important as his mission. To me, him killing his mom indicates that the only thing is the mission. His girlfriend isn't really a character who is truly defined in any way other than pretty and dumb enough to trust him. It's implied that Erik's mom was part of what moved N'Jobu away from isolationism. If we saw her along side Erik's vibranium heist, jailbreak of Klaue, and agree to die to complete the mission, we learn a lot more about the type of angry jaded revolutionary environment he was raised in. As it is, his actual childhood is vague as all get out. With no real mention of his mother, you wonder how he stayed out of the foster system. Why he hasn't been bounced from sketchy situation to sketchy situation. Why he isn't a gang banger, a serial killer in the traditional sense, and how he ended up so high achieving. Having his mother there, explains so much of that.

If, as you suggest, it's his mother and she gives him the nod of approval, so she's sacrificing herself for the cause, it takes one of the most evil things Erik does in the film (killing a black woman who was "dumb enough to trust him") and changes it into something that is sympathetic and empowering to his character. The whole point of the scene is showing us that Erik is, despite a very sympathetic backstory and rhetoric, still a villain who is willing to treat black lives as disposable when it suits him and his mission for revenge.

I certainly agree that they should have explained things about his mother more deeply, but I don't think that this would have been the way to do it.

[HunterHunted]

34 minutes ago, Perfect Xero said:

If, as you suggest, it's his mother and she gives him the nod of approval, so she's sacrificing herself for the cause, it takes one of the most evil things Erik does in the film (killing a black woman who was "dumb enough to trust him") and changes it into something that is sympathetic and empowering to his character. The whole point of the scene is showing us that Erik is, despite a very sympathetic backstory and rhetoric, still a villain who is willing to treat black lives as disposable when it suits him and his mission for revenge.

I certainly agree that they should have explained things about his mother more deeply, but I don't think that this would have been the way to do it.

I don't think it's the most evil thing he does in the movie. It's probably the most ruthless thing. He treated her life like it was disposable, but is that all that different from how T'Chaka treated him. And until Killmonger kills the Dora Milaje soldier, you realize that he doesn't give an eff about any lives Wakandan or not. So no, the girlfriend's death isn't really a turning point.

I think burning the heart-shaped herb is the most evil thing he does because it destroys part of their culture, their religion, and a way to communicate with their ancestors and past. That was truly evil and motivated from his nihilism and anger. Up until then, you still think this mission is about his birthright and some revenge. But burning the herb, is the point he can't come back from.

When he talks about burning the world, starting again, and building a new world in his image, this is what he's talking about. His past and ancestors were taken from him, so he was going to take it from Wakanda. It's when he actively starts destroying things that are Wakandan that you realize that he wants to be king of the ash.

Edited March 5, 2018 by HunterHunted

[Katsullivan]

7 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I don't think it's the most evil thing he does in the movie. It's probably the most ruthless thing. He treated her life like it was disposable, but is that all that different from how T'Chaka treated him.

How are the two things even comparable? Killmonger murdered his lover, a woman who trusted him and was an ally. T'Chaka executed his brother, a Wakandan traitor who was in the process of killing another Wakandan. I have a big problem with the idea that T'Chaka is some sort of villain. He obviously has clay feet, but the two circumstances are far from comparable.

 

7 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I think burning the heart-shaped herb is the most evil thing he does because it destroys part of their culture, their religion, and a way to communicate with their ancestors and past. That was truly evil and motivated from his nihilism and anger. Up until then, you still think this mission is about his birthright and some revenge. But burning the herb, is the point he can't come back from.

Burning the herb was strategic - and ultimately vindictive and short-sighted - but it can never be as evil as murdering an ally, a woman who loved and trusted him.

Killing his girlfriend was Erik Killmonger's Establishing Character Moment which told us (the audience) that no matter how "noble" and "sympathetic" his motivations were (which I don't even completely agree with - being pissed his father was killed was one thing, thinking that Wakanda owed anyone outside its borders anything was another) in the end, this is still an evil man. \

 

 

14 hours ago, Lugal said:

But what could the sanctions do to Wakanda?  They are entirely self-sufficient, and they have the vibranium that everyone else wants.  I think it would be more difficult to destabilize because the four tribes (and even the Jabari) speak the same language and have a common culture and there is no tribe that benefits at the expense of the others.  Wakanda has eliminated poverty and has no underclass. 

Larger, more homogeneous cultures have fallen under Western imperialism. And there will always be weak points to exploit. Killmonger found a weak point in W'kabu, T'Challa's BFF. As for poverty and underclass - hierarchy of needs, anyone? The satisfaction of one needs leads to the desire of another. Unless, you're describing Wakanda as this kumbaya-loving utopia, there's absolutely no way the entirety of its population will be living in 100% harmony 100% of the time. 

 

Quote

The ethnic and class differences in the other countries would make it easier for Wakanda to destabilize them if it so chose.  The world's most powerful corporations are not a monolithic block either, and could easily be divided against each other (like the net neutrality debate that pitted powerful corporations like AT&T and Comcast against powerful corporations like Netflix and Amazon).

I don't think enough credit has been given to Wakanda, for choosing not to conquer the world with its superior technology and military potential. Which is part of what frustrates me about Killmonger's motivations. He believes that Wakanda was morally wrong not to isolate itself when it had the capacity to do more, and completely ignores the fact that Wakanda's choices not to interfere also protected the rest of the world from being overwhelmed by it. Wakanda could easily have been The Colonizer, and the Empire of Wakanda that Killmonger envisioned is something that could have already been in existence if its leaders had had different ideals. 

That no one ever stops to consider that, and commend Wakanda for choosing to use its superiority to improve its own people and subdue others, in the movie is irritating. 

[SimoneS]

1 hour ago, Katsullivan said:

How are the two things even comparable? Killmonger murdered his lover, a woman who trusted him and was an ally. T'Chaka executed his brother, a Wakandan traitor who was in the process of killing another Wakandan. I have a big problem with the idea that T'Chaka is some sort of villain. He obviously has clay feet, but the two circumstances are far from comparable.

 

Burning the herb was strategic - and ultimately vindictive and short-sighted - but it can never be as evil as murdering an ally, a woman who loved and trusted him.

Killing his girlfriend was Erik Killmonger's Establishing Character Moment which told us (the audience) that no matter how "noble" and "sympathetic" his motivations were (which I don't even completely agree with - being pissed his father was killed was one thing, thinking that Wakanda owed anyone outside its borders anything was another) in the end, this is still an evil man. 

I gasped when Erick deliberately murdered his girlfriend. This despicable act has been ignored in a lot of the commentary, but it made him irredeemable, IMO. I agree that this in no way equivalent to T'Chaka killing his brother. T'Chaka didn't execute his brother like Erik did his girlfriend. T'Chaka killed his brother to prevent him from murdering Zuri. I understood Erick motivation to take over Wakanda, I didn't hate him, and I believe he was wrong as hell,  but he deserved to be locked up for him actions which included killing his girlfriend as well as the Dora Dora Milaje guard. 

Edited March 5, 2018 by SimoneS

[Lugal]

1 hour ago, Katsullivan said:

Larger, more homogeneous cultures have fallen under Western imperialism. And there will always be weak points to exploit. Killmonger found a weak point in W'kabu, T'Challa's BFF. As for poverty and underclass - hierarchy of needs, anyone? The satisfaction of one needs leads to the desire of another. Unless, you're describing Wakanda as this kumbaya-loving utopia, there's absolutely no way the entirety of its population will be living in 100% harmony 100% of the time.

I agree there's always weak points, but I just don't know any of them are weak enough that it would provide an opening.  Killmonger had the good fortune to be Wakandan royalty that gave him and in and he did manipulate W'Kabi by delivering Klawe, which T'Challa couldn't.  Although I wonder if he would have been so cooperative if he knew Killmonger was working with Klawe the whole time.  And I don't think Wakanda is a utopia, but the people there seem well off enough that they wouldn't be willing to roll the dice on someone else.

[Enigma X]

Personally, I think the act of Eric killing his girlfriend was to remind the audience that he is Killmonger, the villain, because much of his story is sympathetic. Understanding some or all of his perspective on Wakanda does not erase the fact that he is a villain.

[ChelseaNH]

The biggest point of contention in Wakanda is probably whether T'Challa was right to end their isolation.  It's going to be tricky for outsiders to find common cause with the isolationists.

[HunterHunted]

I never said T'Chaka killing N'Jobu was evil or equivalent to Erik killing his girlfriend. T'Chaka was defending Zuri and N'Jobu was a traitor. I said T'Chaka abandoning Erik in Oakland with N'Jobu's corpse was as cold and ruthless as Erik killing his girlfriend. Especially given that we don't know if Erik's mother was alive or around at that time, it seems really awful to leave this child to the streets. 

I know that people will object to this comparison because they view Erik killing his girlfriend as truly evil. I don't. I think it's a sign of his ruthlessness and singular focus on his mission. I'm reminded of the bloodly conclusion of the Beslan School Siege. After hundreds were killed and in his speech to the nation, Putin said "We showed ourselves to be weak. And the weak get beaten." While the bloodly conclusion was horrifying, Putin views his actions as necessary to ensure the continuation of Russia. That's how I think Erik views killing his girlfriend. That's how I view the killing too. Like I'm sure he'd have liked to keep her alive, but the mission was too important.

[VCRTracking]

2 hours ago, doram said:

This just makes me think of The Incredibles, you know the scene when someone's Girlfriend/Lancer/Lieutenant was threatened and he (said) he called the bluff. Or in X-Men when Magneto was going to sacrifice someone for the Greater Good and someone else told him that "if you're really so righteous, you'd risk your own life." 

Mirage. I always remember that part because of the way Mr. Incredible tells Syndrome when he's squeezing her "It'll be easy. Like breaking a toothpick!"

2 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I know that people will object to this comparison because they view Erik killing his girlfriend as truly evil. I don't. I think it's a sign of his ruthlessness and singular focus on his mission. I'm reminded of the bloodly conclusion of the Beslan School Siege. After hundreds were killed and in his speech to the nation, Putin said "We showed ourselves to be weak. And the weak get beaten." While the bloodly conclusion was horrifying, Putin views his actions as necessary to ensure the continuation of Russia. That's how I think Erik views killing his girlfriend. That's how I view the killing too. Like I'm sure he'd have liked to keep her alive, but the mission was too important.

There are examples from other movies where the villain shows he loves his girlfriend or wife, but later coldly kills her or allows her to be killed because he cares about his goal far more. Sometimes she understands, sometimes it's a shock and there's an quick look of betrayal before death.

Edited March 5, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Katsullivan]

On 3/5/2018 at 11:26 AM, Lugal said:

I agree there's always weak points, but I just don't know any of them are weak enough that it would provide an opening.  

Well this is a weak point right here:

On 3/5/2018 at 12:59 PM, ChelseaNH said:

The biggest point of contention in Wakanda is probably whether T'Challa was right to end their isolation.  It's going to be tricky for outsiders to find common cause with the isolationists.

My understanding was that the 5 tribes of Wakanda were united in Paranoia, and now T'Challa is pretty much putting a hammer on their nationalist spirit with his new Open Doors policy.

Also the fact that the King of Wakanda is basically a benevolent dictator, and their rules of succession/opposition are flaky as hell? A recipe for disaster. 

[Perfect Xero]

2 hours ago, Katsullivan said:

Well this is a weak point right here:

My understanding was that the 5 tribes of Wakanda were united in Paranoia, and now T'Challa is pretty much putting a hammer on their nationalist spirit with his new Open Doors policy.

Also the fact that the King of Wakanda is basically a benevolent dictator, and their rules of succession/opposition are flaky as hell? A recipe for disaster. 

This is the cornerstone of the MCU going back to "I am Iron Man." Good people with good intentions helping people, but creating new problems at the same time. The right thing is rarely the easy thing.

Of course isolation worked, right up until isolationism ended up creating Killmonger, which almost destroyed Wakanda's soul and turned them into the very thing that they hate.

We see in W'Kabi that there are already important people in Wakanda who are growing discontent with Wakanda's isolationism even before Killmonger shows up. We have War Dogs like Nakia who are taking on missions to help people that seem to have no connection to protecting Wakanda. Then we have young people like Shuri who seem to be consuming outside culture ("What are those!"). All this in a world that is growing increasingly small.

The real thing here is that Wakanda's isolationism was never going to last. T'Challa's choice becomes to either meet the world on his terms in a way that best positions them to do some good in it or to wait for someone else to decide the terms on which Wakanda's secrets are discovered.

[Fukui San]

Dear Marvel,

Just saw Black Panther. It was great as everyone said. You’re kicking DC’s ass, etc. 

Just want to ask one small favor. Can you please stop killing your villains and supporting characters so darn much? It’s wasteful and shortsighted. 

You spent this movie making Killmonger your best villain in years and now he’s gone? Michael B won’t be around to populate a future Masters of Evil? Klaw wont be around to be a low level troublemaker? You can’t send some folks to jail? You gutted Forrest Whitaker for cheap pathos. And don’t get me started on some of the wasted characters on Thor: Ragnarok. 

You all are acting as if the well of Marvel history is bottomless. It’s not. It’s just very, very deep. Strip mining it in this way quickens the pace in which you’ll have to reboot the movie universe as the comics have to do every decade or so. Plus, there are great story possibilities of  living but sidelined super villains. You’ll wish you’d been more judicious when it’s time to make a Thunderbolts movie. 

(Also, too much death lessens the impact of any particular death. Reserve it for the biggest moments, the game changers.)

Just something to think about.

-me

[Joe]

I hear the villain for Black Panther 2 is Stilt Man. Apparently Avengers 5 has reserved Paste Pot Pete.

[VCRTracking]

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, Joe said:

I hear the villain for Black Panther 2 is Stilt Man. Apparently Avengers 5 has reserved Paste Pot Pete.

I always liked Paste Pot Pete, actually.  Stilt Man is a silly villain, but he would be visually interesting.

[Perfect Xero]

At some point in the MCU Erik Killmonger and Tony Stark probably ended up making small talk at a MIT alumni event.

[Dee]

At some point in the MCU Erik and Sam Wilson probably interacted while in the service.

Edited March 7, 2018 by Dee

[AimingforYoko]

The most millennial story ever?

'Cause this kind of shit never happened in my day. (The internet fame part, not the biting through retainer part. I'm sure that happened as long as there's been retainers.)

[Browncoat]

I finally got to see this last night, and I loved it.  I would totally watch a movie with just the women!  Y'all have said pretty much everything, but I will second (or third) wanting a vibranium rhino.

Question for all of you who perhaps weren't around in the early 90s -- before this movie, had you ever heard of Grace Jones?  "Grace Jones-looking woman" was a very good description, and I immediately knew what they'd look like.  Because I am old enough to remember Grace.  :)

[HunterHunted]

28 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I finally got to see this last night, and I loved it.  I would totally watch a movie with just the women!  Y'all have said pretty much everything, but I will second (or third) wanting a vibranium rhino.

Who doesn't want an armoured war rhino, just like a war moose and a war pig as seen in The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.

28 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Question for all of you who perhaps weren't around in the early 90s -- before this movie, had you ever heard of Grace Jones?  "Grace Jones-looking woman" was a very good description, and I immediately knew what they'd look like.  Because I am old enough to remember Grace.  :)

I think a lot of her films are fixed in the pop culture firmament: Conan, View to a Kill, and Boomerang.

[Browncoat]

3 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Who doesn't want an armoured war rhino, just like a war moose and a war pig as seen in The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.

Oh!  And I forgot the armoured bears from Golden Compass!  The book (and my imagination), not the abomination of a movie.

4 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I think a lot of her films are fixed in the pop culture firmament: Conan, View to a Kill, and Boomerang.

I wondered, because I have a friend who's 26, and who had never heard of her.  I googled images, and my friend still had no idea who Grace was.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

I finally got to see this last night, and I loved it.  I would totally watch a movie with just the women!  Y'all have said pretty much everything, but I will second (or third) wanting a vibranium rhino.

Question for all of you who perhaps weren't around in the early 90s -- before this movie, had you ever heard of Grace Jones?  "Grace Jones-looking woman" was a very good description, and I immediately knew what they'd look like.  Because I am old enough to remember Grace.  :)

As am I ;)

[Dee]

‘Black Panther’ Poised To Pounce Into China With $60M Opening

Quote

Early on, there was concern that Asian markets might not embrace the film. But it has done well in places like Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong, playing like a strong Marvel movie with good action. In Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, BP has run past the lifetime of Thor 3. Korea is in fact the No. 2 offshore market on the title, but that also has something to do with it being heavily featured in the movie with key scenes shot in Busan.

China has little history with films that boast predominantly Black casts, and we’ve been cautioned the Wakanda wonder could be met with some resistance. Many think it will do good, but not great business. One person on the ground says, “There’s not much emotional attachment” to the character.

It will also be up against the anticipated Japanese sports romance film Mix which some have compared to Aamir Khan’s Dangal, a sports drama that was embraced locally, finaling at $193M. Mix stars Yui Aragaki who has great online popularity in China. BP won’t have too long to make its cash with Tomb Raider and Pacific Rim: Uprising entering the market in the following weeks.

Disney has done its level best to engage audiences there, although the cast did not visit as the promotional window fell during Chinese New Year. Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, was on the red carpet at the U.S. premiere on January 29 to snap pics and capture short-form video with the cast and filmmakers which was released in real-time in the Middle Kingdom. A Wakanda exhibit has also been featured in malls in seven cities along with other stunts and displays of characters showing Black Panther next to his Captain America: Civil War peers like Iron Man, Thor and others to trigger association to that $1.1B global grossing blockbuster. A trailer tailored for China, also showed Chadwick Boseman introducing himself and explaining Black Panther’s connection to the greater MCU as did a sit-down with Robert Downey Jr endorsing Boseman to Chinese audiences.

Last year, Boseman was voted the “Most Popular U.S. Actor in China” at the 13th annual Chinese American Film Festival, and his 2017 drama Marshall was partly financed by a Chinese company, though it did not release on the mainland. But even if Black Panther breaks through in China, some in the industry doubt that it will change the prospects for titles with predominantly Black casts in that market.

“The themes of most films with largely Black casts will still not be of interest to Chinese audiences,” USC professor and China specialist Stanley Rosen told us ahead of the movie’s initial release. “This is more about superhero films where the characters happen to be Black, but not about African-American films more generally.”

Today, Rosen adds, “The advance ticket sales have been quite good, and there is certainly a lot of interest based on how well it’s done elsewhere and among those who enjoy Marvel films. It should open strongly and then it will depend on word of mouth.” Douban, the audience reviews site, currently has fewer than 50% giving the film four or five stars, with the largest percentage in the three-star range. It has an overall rating of 6.7 out of 10 (some Chinese moviegoers will have seen it in Hong Kong and elsewhere during the Lunar New Year).

Edited March 7, 2018 by Dee

[SimoneS]

I think that Black Panther will do well enough in China, but not be a huge box office smash. I hope that I am wrong though.

[JessePinkman]

5 hours ago, Dee said:

One person on the ground says, “There’s not much emotional attachment” to the character.

Shit, there wasn't much emotional attachment here. Then the movie came out. That's how it works.

The movie only has to make 100 million in China to do as well as most other MCU movies. And that looks to be in sight.

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, JessePinkman said:

The movie only has to make 100 million in China to do as well as most other MCU movies. And that looks to be in sight.

Worldwide aside, it is cleaning up domestically.  Right now it's at $512 million, which is second only to The Avengers out of all the MCU movies.  Absolutely amazing.  I'm wondering if it can catch The Avengers now.  I'm thinking probably not, but we'll see.  And they say the US is supposed to be so backwards as far as racial tolerance and diversity goes.

[Dee]

Black Panther” Is Inspiring Black Brazilians to Occupy Elite, White Shopping Malls

Quote

“How different. Exotic,” commented one women as she watched a group of almost 50 people — mostly young and black, many wearing bright fabrics with African designs — stroll through the Shopping Leblon mall. They came this Monday to participate in a rolezinho pretoi, roughly translated to “black stroll,” and watch the film “Black Panther” in Rio de Janeiro’s most exclusive shopping center, a place where black Brazilians are commonly employed, but are rarely seen as customers. Amid suspicious looks and a VIP escort of security guards, I accompanied the group that went to see the film.

Much of the hype around “Black Panther” focuses on black professionals occupying positions in Hollywood that are usually dominated by whites, from heroic lead to producer to director. As tribute to that fact, the organizers of the rolezinho preto, the Black Collective (Coletivo Preto) and the Grupo Emú, chose the whitest and most elitist spaces in one of Rio’s toniest neighborhoods to stage a group viewing of the movie. The event also protested the lack of black professionals in Brazil’s entertainment industry. A survey by the National Cinema Agency, or ANCINE, revealed that only 7 percent of professionals in the field are black in a nation where majority of citizens have African ancestry.

Edited March 8, 2018 by Dee

[wanderingstar]

2 hours ago, Dee said:

Black Panther” Is Inspiring Black Brazilians to Occupy Elite, White Shopping Malls

This is one of my favorite stories I have read about the impact of this film.

[JessePinkman]

3 hours ago, rmontro said:

And they say the US is supposed to be so backwards as far as racial tolerance and diversity goes.

I mean it is in a lot of ways but the US has never had an issue with being entertained by black people while not respecting our basic human rights. Cognitive dissonance is very real.

I just hope this changes the mindset in Hollywood that we can only be the star of slavery/civil rights movies or mid-tier comedies and that "black movies" can't sell overseas.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 06/03/2018 at 8:17 PM, Joe said:

I hear the villain for Black Panther 2 is Stilt Man. Apparently Avengers 5 has reserved Paste Pot Pete.

Honestly at this point (especially after the last year's worth of MCU movies) I would probably be more surprised if they made a movie with Stilt Man as the villain and it didn’t kick ass. I mean they made Purple Man a great villain.

Although I really think they should bring in Achebe. Marvel for the most part doesn't really have any Joker style villains who are just evil because they enjoy chaos. Every bad guy in the MCU wants revenge against someone or to take over something or some other logical motive. Plus they said in the movie that if Wakanda brings in refugees, those refugees bring in their own problems.

[Perfect Xero]

"I am STILT MAN, no border wall is high enough to stop me, hahahahaha!"

[HunterHunted]

One of my biggest criticisms of the MCU is that some of their better villains are just chilling over on Agents of SHIELD or in the Netflix shows and they won't move them over to the movies. The Purple Man was a great psychotic Joker style villain.

I'm not familiar with the Black Panther comics. Prior to the MCU, the only thing I really knew about him was his sudden snooze of a marriage to Storm. I'm a diehard Storm and Forge fan.

[Morrigan2575]

59 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I'm a diehard Storm and Forge fan

Yay!

[Dee]

‘Black Panther’ Crosses $1 Billion at Global Box Office

Quote

Marvel’s “Black Panther” continues to climb box office charts, passing the $1 billion mark at the global box office in just 26 days.

The Ryan Coogler tentpole is the 33rd movie to gross $1 billion. It’s the 16th Disney film to reach this milestone, and the fifth Marvel film to do so — joining the ranks of “The Avengers,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Iron Man 3,” and “Captain America: Civil War.”

“Black Panther” has grossed $521 million domestically, making it the ninth-highest release of all time. In its fourth weekend, “Black Panther” is heading for a $37 million-plus weekend, which would make it the No. 2 superhero release of all time over “The Dark Knight’s” $535 million.

It would also give “Black Panther” the third-highest fourth weekend of all time, taking the title from “The Avengers” with $36.7 million. “Avatar” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” currently hold the one and two spots, with $50.3 million and $42.4 million respectively. A 44% drop for the tentpole’s fourth weekend would be on par with its third weekend decline of 41%.

Internationally, “Black Panther” is aiming for the $500 million mark this weekend, thanks to a strong debut in China, where it opened with $20 million in its first day.

Edited March 10, 2018 by Dee

[xaxat]

I looked up the word "swagger" in the dictionary. There was a picture of Killmonger.

As the last black person in the US to see the movie, I'll add my thoughts. First of all, I loved it. Yes, the pacing wasn't great in the first half and the CGI fights weren't great, but everything else was. Quick notes.

Wakanda needs to adopt a "No body, no death" amendment to their oral constitution. 

I am totally sympathetic to the decision W'Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) when T'Challa shows up in the final battle. 

I wonder how many kids are wandering around hooting like the Mountain Tribe and demanding they be called M'Baku. Because my eight year old self would be totally doing that. 

Usually I watch a movie and am done with it. When this comes out on Blu Ray, I am going to rewatch the shit out of it.

[AimingforYoko]

4 hours ago, xaxat said:

I wonder how many kids are wandering around hooting like the Mountain Tribe and demanding they be called M'Baku. Because my eight year old self would be totally doing that. 

M'Baku challenge.

[Lugal]

6 hours ago, xaxat said:

I wonder how many kids are wandering around hooting like the Mountain Tribe and demanding they be called M'Baku. Because my eight year old self would be totally doing that. 

Lupita Nyong'o was on the Daily Show and said how she went incognito in the park in New York and passed a bunch of teenagers doing the Jabari chant (and they didn't recognize her).  I also saw an interview with Forrest Whitaker who said how intense it was when they shot that scene.

[wanderingstar]

Nope. Deleted because I posted in the wrong thread! Ha!

Edited March 11, 2018 by Gillian Rosh

[Lantern7]

Okay, so Saturday Night Live just aired a Black Panther sketch with Sterling K. Brown. If it's up on YouTube after 1 a.m., I'll post it.

[Amethyst]

11 hours ago, xaxat said:

As the last black person in the US to see the movie, I'll add my thoughts. First of all, I loved it. Yes, the pacing wasn't great in the first half and the CGI fights weren't great, but everything else was. Quick notes.

Hehe, I just saw it for the first time last week.  I felt so guilty for seeing it late, like I needed to turn in my "Black card."  I really want to see it again before it leaves theaters.

[Lantern7]

Here we go. ?

[theredhead77]

On 2/7/2018 at 12:51 PM, theredhead77 said:

Can someone who is not a comic book enthusiast / couldn't tell you the difference between DC and Marvel enjoy this movie walking in without any prep work?

I'm quoting myself because I'm very late to the party but I enjoyed the crap out of Black Panther. I rarely go to the theater twice for the same movie but I sure hope there is an extended cut upon Blu-Ray release.

[Dee]

‘Black Panther’ Powers Past ‘Dark Knight Rises’ at Worldwide Box Office

Quote

Marvel-Disney’s “Black Panther” has topped “The Dark Knight Rises” to become the 20th-highest grossing movie of all time worldwide, grossing $1.09 billion in less than a month of release.

“Black Panther” became the 33rd film to cross the $1 billion worldwide mark on March 10. It trails “Transformers: Age of Extinction” by less than $1 million for 19th place and “Skyfall” by $5 million for 18th place.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Dee

[SuburbanHangSuite]

On 3/10/2018 at 2:06 PM, xaxat said:

I wonder how many kids are wandering around hooting like the Mountain Tribe and demanding they be called M'Baku. Because my eight year old self would be totally doing that. 

So I'm guessing around November of this year, there will be a whole crop of babies being born with M'Baku and T'Challa on their birth certificates.  Bet on that.

[ohjoy]

And probably Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri as well. 

[HunterHunted]

3 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

So I'm guessing around November of this year, there will be a whole crop of babies being born with M'Baku and T'Challa on their birth certificates.  Bet on that.

2 hours ago, garnetarden said:

And probably Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri as well. 

 

I love going through the Social Security Administration name data. As long as there are at least 3 or 5 (I can't remember the exact number) kids in a gender born in one year with a name, the SSA will publish the stats about how many kids have that name. I don't think Reneesme has ever fallen off the list after those Twilight films. Espn (aka ESPN) has never not been listed after jumping on in the mid 90s. There are always 7 or 8 boys named Espn every year. T'Challa and M'Baku seem completely reasonable in comparison.

Well, luckily Nakia and Okoye are already names. Although, Okoye is a surname. Okoye is an Igbo surname meaning someone born on market day. Nakia is an Arabic name meaning pure or faithful.

Edited March 14, 2018 by HunterHunted

[johntfs]

48 minutes ago, garnetarden said:

And probably Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri as well. 

We could do with some more of all of those.  I'm hoping lots of little girls (White/Black and across the Rainbow) are looking at Shuri going "I want to be her when I grow up!"

[ohjoy]

1 hour ago, johntfs said:

We could do with some more of all of those.  I'm hoping lots of little girls (White/Black and across the Rainbow) are looking at Shuri going "I want to be her when I grow up!"

I know I am.

[Dee]

‘Black Panther’ Still Boss At The B.O. Running Toward $600M+

Quote

Once again, it’s another weekend where other studios can blame Black Panther for eating up their homework: The Disney/Marvel movie is looking at its fifth No. 1 notch with an estimated $26M-$28M sending its cume to $604M-$606M by Sunday and crossing that threshold in its 31st day of release. That makes Black Panther the second-fastest to $600M after Star Wars The Force Awakens (12 days) and ahead of Jurassic World (36 days) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (37 days).

[tennisgurl]

Disney Executives: "Hurry everyone, lets dive into our Scrooge McDuck pile of money again! And perhaps send a selfie to our old friends..."

DC: "Damn it, I hate when they send these!"