Tonight I read that “Black Panther” now has one of the biggest box office hauls in American history, shattering sales records for many comparable films and surpassing massive hits like “Star Wars” and “The Avengers” in several metrics.
I also read that this financial success can be attributed, in part, to the numerous ticket purchases by African Americans (something like double the audience size usually expected for a superhero movie) and women (increased from around 35% to 45% of the audience) — and specifically African American women, which is why those first two figures are so high.
For as long as I can remember, I have read that most Hollywood producers refuse to back films created by or starring black people. Supposedly, these producers believe that such movies will not succeed financially and thus are not worth the investment.
The titanic success of “Black Panther” demonstrates that this malevolent belief is at best a racist delusion and at worst a deliberate racist lie.
The truth is that a movie directed by a black director and starring an almost entirely black cast has already ranked among the most commercially successful movies ever made. This is because, in addition to attracting the usual superhero audience, black men and especially black women (who have longed for a fair representation in a Hollywood blockbuster) have turned out to seen this movie in force.
What other superhero or other big-budget movie can you recall that stars a black woman in a prominent role? Well, “Black Panther” features not one, not two, not three, but FOUR black women as important, well-written, powerful, fascinating characters. No one should be surprised that black women who might normally avoid these types of movies have decided to purchase a ticket to “Black Panther.“
Black people deserve a far better cinema than Hollywood has produced. Let us hope that the financial success of “Black Panther” ushers in an age of inclusive film-making.