‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Ends With Three Ellipses That Point To The Future of The Franchise

Following up the enormous success of a box office-shattering, Academy Award-winning film with a sequel carries its own pressures and challenges, but for the team behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, they also had to navigate production and life after the loss of their beloved lead, their king, T’Challa, the Black Panther himself Chadwick Boseman. Director Ryan Coogler discussed moving forward in the wake of Boseman’s tragic passing in 2020. 

Finding inspiration. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Lupita Nyong’o plays the grieving lover of T’Challa, the character played by the late Chadwick Boseman, but in reality, the actress turned to Boseman’s widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, for inspiration.

Strengthened by the worldwide release this past weekend of Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the Walt Disney Studios has crossed the $3B box office mark globally for the year so far.

A very vibrant runway leading into Thanksgiving for sure for movie theaters as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is headed for a second weekend down around -60% for $70M-$72M. Through five days, the Ryan Coogler-directed Disney and Marvel Studios sequel has amassed $204.8M with Tuesday earning $12.4M, the third best Tuesday of November after Frozen 2 ($20.8M, Nov. 26, 2019) and Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($15.96M, Nov. 26, 2013).

The fruits of Disney’s industry-reported $100M+ promotional partner campaign on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have been yielded, not just in a November U.S./Canada box office opening record of $181.3M and 12.7M admissions but in stoking a diverse range of demographics including Black, Latino/Hispanic and older women to cinemas in droves this past weekend.

With a career spanning over three decades, costume designer Ruth Carter has crafted looks for the early 1800s, mid-20th Century America and all aspect of ’90s and early 2000’s Los Angeles (from “B.A.P.S.” to “Love & Basketball”). Her efforts have seen her rewarded with three Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design and a win in 2020 for Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther.” She revisited that pop culture inflection in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and it was arguably one of the biggest challenges of her career.

Lupita Nyong’o made her dream a reality by filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever when she was able to speak Spanish. The Academy Award winner for 12 Years a Slave was born in México City to Kenyan parents.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned $330 million in ticket sales worldwide its opening weekend, it was estimated by Walt Disney Co on Sunday.The distributor also said the film set a box office November record in the United States and Canada, according to Reuters.From Thursday night through Sunday, the Ryan Coogler-directed feature pulled in $180M domestically. Monumental! Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned $330 million in ticket sales worldwide its opening weekend, it was estimated by Walt Disney Co on SundayIt beat out 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which opened with $158.1 million.Internationally, the sequel earned $150 million between Wednesday and Sunday, making it the top-grossing Hollywood release in all markets.  Wakanda Forever - which stars Angela Bassett, Leticia Wright, and Lupita Nyong'o, and more - was highly anticipated before its November 11 release.The film, which follows 2018's original, earned $84 million opening day, including $28 million from Thursday previews.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens in theaters today in the US to close out Phase 4 for the MCU. But don’t expect the film’s worldwide box office numbers to reach those of Ryan Coogler‘s 2018 film.

There’s power in hair. Black Panther‘s lead beautician Camille Friend made it her mission to create an authentic and captivating depiction of African and Black American beauty.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens in theaters today in the US to close out Phase 4 for the MCU. But don’t expect the film’s worldwide box office numbers to reach those of Ryan Coogler‘s 2018 film.

Honoring the king. When Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer in August 2020, director Ryan Coogler reworked the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script to write out the late actor’s character.

Carrying his legacy. After Chadwick Boseman‘s 2020 death, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler decided that his Marvel character would also die and a new Black Panther would be born in Wakanda Forever. (WARNING: Spoilers ahead.)

When Black Panther director Ryan Coogler returned to direct the highly-anticipated sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, he left with a skill he didn't have before: he learned how to swim.The sequel introduces the iconic Marvel Comics character Namor the Sub-Mariner - who made his comics debut nearly a century ago in 1939, played by Tenoch Huerta.Since a large portion of the movie takes place underwater, the 36-year-old Oakland native filmmaker revealed he had to learn how to swim for the movie. Skill: When Black Panther director Ryan Coogler returned to direct the highly-anticipated sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, he left with a skill he didn't have before: he learned how to swim Namor: The sequel introduces the iconic Marvel Comics character Namor the Sub-Mariner - who made his comics debut nearly a century ago in 1939, played by Tenoch Huerta'A lot of us were raised to have fear of water,' Coogler began, adding, 'I had to figure out how to swim so I could direct this movie.'Namor is the ruler of an underwater kingdom known as Talokan, and he and the newly-discovered kingdom become a new threat to the fictional African nation of Wakanda in the sequel.

Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever got out to a $10.1M start in  17 international box office markets on Wednesday. This is ahead of continued offshore rollout through Friday and the sequel’s domestic debut on Friday (domestic previews start Thursday). 

Letitia Wright has revealed she is still in therapy following a traumatic accident on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in August 2021.The actress, 29, suffered a concussion and a shoulder fracture after falling off a 'biscuit rig' while riding a motorcycle in Boston, causing production to temporarily shut down -  with the star reflecting on the harrowing incident to Variety. Letitia, who plays Shuri in the film, said: 'I’m still processing it. I’m still working through it in therapy.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has already sold more than $45 million in advance domestic sales, ahead of its opening Friday in around 4,300 domestic cinemas.Sources confirmed the totals from the Marvel Studios film to The Hollywood Reporter, as Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek noted the strong start in a company’s earnings call on Tuesday.He said director Ryan Coogler 'has delivered another culture-defining film' as 'evidenced by advance ticket sales.' The latest: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, starring Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright, has already sold more than $45 million in advance domestic sales, ahead of its opening Friday in around 4,300 domestic cinemasThe film Wednesday was slated to commence with its international rollout ahead of a mass opening (except for China and Russia), with domestic projections of around a minimum of $175 million, and between $155 million to $195 million in international box office totals.The film's $45 million in domestic presales - which could swell to up to $65 million by Friday - were less than Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, but more than Thor: Love and Thunder, Disney sources told the outlet.

While it’s unclear whether or not Ryan Coogler is going to return to direct another “Black Panther” film after the release of ‘Wakanda Forever,’ it has long been known the filmmaker is working alongside Marvel Studios to develop spinoffs for Disney+. Originally, it was revealed that the spinoff would be focused on the Dora Milaje, led by Danai Gurira’s Okoye.

Despite the presence of New Line’s Black Adam and Universal’s franchise title Halloween Ends at the October box office, the drought we’ve been weathering since the second frame of August with U.S./Canada weekend ticket sales averaging $58M has been stinging to say the least.