Who Is the New Black Panther? [SPOILER] Takes on the Mantle After Chadwick Boseman’s Death

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).

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.

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.

**Spoiler Alert: This is an article for those that have already seen “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” If you have not, bookmark this page, turn around, see the movie and come back. Spoiler Alert end.** A dramatic meditation on grief, mourning, and healing, while also acting as an action-packed superhero look at how vengeance can consume us—not to mention all its geopolitical and ideological ideas of protecting one’s identities, traditions, and right to exist—Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is in theaters now and is a lot of movie.

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.

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.

Angela Bassett looked regal in a cover shoot for Variety that was published Wednesday, as the actress continues to promote her upcoming Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.The 64-year-old struck a powerful pose in an all-white ensemble alongside director Ryan Coogler and co-star Letitia Wright.  The interview came as Bassett has been garnering Oscar buzz for her portrayal of Queen Ramonda in the film.During her chat, the star said she has been going through 'cycles of grief' ever since her Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman died in 2020.  The queen: Angela Bassett looked regal in a cover shoot for Variety that was published Wednesday, as the actress continues to promote her upcoming Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverThe 9-1-1 star donned a stylish white blouse with a deep neckline. She added a pair of trim white slacks to the outfit. Bassett's curly hair puffed out on the sides and stopped just short of touching her shoulders.  During the Variety interview, the trio discussed the biggest change to the second film – Boseman's death. The late-star's cancer diagnosis wasn't known to people outside of a small group of family members, so his death came as a shock to his colleagues.

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.

There’s no line in ‘Wakanda Forever,’ the sequel to Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” (2018), as bruising and seething as “Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships because they knew death was better than bondage.” But emotionally, this somber ‘Black Panther’ sequel is just as visceral and lacerating and perhaps just as absolutist. And spiritually, there is great lineage to this bitter resignation about demise, pride, ancestries, the great depths below us, and the refusal to accept enslavement.

The 2018 blockbuster Black Panther marked several milestones for Marvel and the whole MCU in ways they would be hard to follow, not least being its wide-ranging cultural impact, its groundbreaking and game-changing opening for Black filmmakers in front of and behind the camera, its imprint on social issues and certainly the fact that it became the first so-called comic book movie adaptation ever to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. That is some legacy, and add its three quarters of a billion dollar worldwide gross and you have an obvious candidate for a blockbuster sequel. However the tragic, completely unexpected death of its star, Chadwick Boseman at just age 43, and the whole idea of carrying the story forward without its key driving on screen force of King T’Challa would be a tall order for anyone. Fortunately for us it is one that has been largely met with dignity, grief over unthinkable loss, and a determination to do the right thing by director Ryan Coogler.

In anticipation of its release this coming week, Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continued its promotional tour with a historic premiere in Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday evening. This was a major event — and the first time a Marvel movie has held a premiere locally — with a large group of talent, filmmakers and press on hand for the black carpet rollout. The sequel to the $1.348B grossing original pic played across multiple screens at Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX Lekki.