Summary
While theBlack Panthermovies have turned out to be some of the best reviewed and biggest commercial successes in the MCU outside of the tentpole Avengers flicks, it turns out there were some with the company who were originally a bit uneasy about sending the the franchise in that direction. In fact, it appears there were at least some higher-ups who were “shaking a little bit in their boots” about putting so much money into the firstBlack Pantherfilm.
Lupita Nyong’o is no newbie to the industry and she’s likely seen different reactions to different approaches throughout her career. But how Marvel execs were so outwardly nervous aboutBlack Pantherstood out to her. Years later, she finally spoke about her memory of those early days before the phrase “Wakanda Forever” was being spoken in every Marvel fan’s living room.
Black Panther Actress Addresses Marvel’s Concerns
TheUsactress recently gavean interview toThe Hollywood Reporter, in which she discussed several different subjects, all focusing on the first Black Panther film and how much she misses her co-star Chadwick Boseman. She said that while Marvel higher-ups were nervous about the first MCU movie with a predominantly black cast, the film stars were anxious as well because they knew what was on the line if it wasn’t a critical or commercial success.
“There was a lot of fear, definitely from the executives … we were too because we were like, we only get to do this once. And we gotta do it right.”
However, onceBlack Pantherlaunched, it did well enough at the box office and was greeted with great enthusiasm by critics to the point wheretheA Quiet Place: Day Onestarrealized that the flick had actually done quite a bit not only to quiet the nerves about the rather historic film in the MCU, but also show that there was reason to go back to that well. Nyong’o said she and her cast mates realized thatBlack Panther, “totally shattered the myth that Black doesn’t sell.”
Black Panther
Starring
Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright
Directed By
Ryan Coogler
Black Pantherbecame one of the MCU’s most successful films in its 16-year history. It made $1.35 billion worldwide which means it was the 6th-highest-grossing superhero movie ever. It also spawned the sequel that eventually had to be changed when its leading man,Chadwick Boseman passed away from cancer.
While Marvel did eventuallyrelease a reshaped and reimaginedBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverthat involved several of the characters from the first film, as well as an offscreen death of the main character, there are indications that Nyong’o wasn’t wrong about the trepidations the studio had when the first installment was being produced. Back in 2019, Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter openly expressed his lack of confidence in the direction things were moving as well as theMCU’s growing diversity. Studio President Kevin Feige confirmed there were some in Marvel Studios who shared Perlmutter’s reluctance. However, those concerns were likely dashed after the more than billion-dollar windfall of the originalBlack Pantherand then nearly $900 million payday fromWakanda Foreverdespite the absence of Boseman in the sequel.
