The hype for Disney-Marvel's Black Panther is at an all-time high. The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, is set to release in theaters nationwide on February 16, but it has already began to break records in online advance ticketing sales, according to reports from Fandango and Alamo Drafthouse.
Fandango revealed that advance sales for the Fruitvale Station and Creed director's new superhero movie is through the roof. The company's managing editor, Erik Davis, said, "The positive word-of-mouth is helping drive the movie's spectacular advance ticket sales," and noted that those who have attended early screenings are calling it "Marvel's best movie ever." It quickly outsold 2016's Batman vs. Superman in advance sales as well.
The yet-to-be-released movie shattered yet another record when it was announced that its presale tickets with Alamo Drafthouse were selling faster than any previous comic book movie they had screened before, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Black Panther's preemptive success is for sure an impressive feat, but it just goes to show that when a studio invests in stories that are authentically unique, and come from diverse perspectives, audiences will flock to them in droves. Black Panther's focus on black excellence reinforces the power of movies that come from an organic conception can have on a large scale.
Angela Basset, who stars in the movie as the mother of T'Challa (Black Panther), summed up what makes the movie so special, "Seeing all these beautiful, talented black people in one place," she told Variety. As audience excitement over Black Panther continues to surge, we're hoping that Coogler's massive blockbuster will open the door for more stories like it to follow.
