With February 16th fast approaching, Marvel Studios is ready to sound the drums of war.
There’s a Black Panther standalone movie on the horizon, and don’t we know all about it. Advance ticket sales for the Ryan Coogler-directed spinoff are through the roof – Fandango has since crowned Black Panther as its top-selling Marvel movie in the first 24 hours of presales, higher than even Civil War – as moviegoers gear up for an unforgettable trip to Wakanda.
It’s by no means the first time that the MCU has cast light on the African utopia, as it also played a small part in Joss Whedon’s Age of Ultron, in which viewers were introduced to the scarred mercenary known as Ulysses Klaw (Andy Serkis). He’ll be making his return alongside Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) in only a few weeks’ time, but let’s face it, they’re really the token white guys of Black Panther – or should that be Tolkien white guys, as one shrewd Redditor so aptly put it?
Because make no mistake, Ryan Coogler’s standalone pic belongs to Chadwick Boseman and the predominantly African-American cast. It’s the first mainstream black superhero movie since Blade, and to their credit, both Coogler and the design team at Marvel Studios have imbued Black Panther with a real sense of authenticity. Even from the footage released thus far, this is a film that feels deeply unique in every frame, and we can’t wait to see it pounce onto the big, big screen.
With a kick-ass cast in tow, not to mention all of the Black Panther staples – Wakanda, vibranium and a certain Heart-Shaped Herb – Marvel’s latest standalone pic is said to be tracking for an opening weekend in the region of $80m-$100m. Disney is yet to release its official estimates, though, so take that figure with a grain of salt.