Black Panther Wakanda Forever is set to premiere in Lagos, Nigeria.
The premiere of the highly anticipated blockbuster superhero sequel, Black Panther 2, is set to premiere in Nigeria before its theatrical release.
Marvel Studios announced that as a part of its worldwide tour, it would be visiting Nigeria. Needless to say, this is the first time, Marvel studios will have an official movie premiere in Nigeria.
This announcement was made by FilmOne Entertainment, via social media. They released a statement that read, “The Walt Disney Company, in association with Africa International Film Festival officially announced today that Nigeria will play host to the official African premiere of Marvel Studios Black Panther; Wakanda Forever.”
The Black Panther franchise is one of the Hollywood movies that have drawn so much inspiration from African culture. It is only fitting that the movie gives back to Africa, in whatever way it can.
Below are 5 ways the Black Panther franchise has given back to Africa.
African cast: Seeing as the movie is set in Africa, it is only fitting that several Africans are cast in the movie. Some of the African actors featured in the movie thus far include; Lupita Nyong’O, Atanda Kwani, Sope Aluko, Sahsa Morfaw, Florence Kasumba, and more.
African Premier: As mentioned earlier, Black Panther 2 is set to premiere in Lagos, Nigeria. The first part of the movie premiered in South Africa, with several of the cast and crew presents, in a grandeur event that highlighted the beauty of Hollywood and Africa’s film integration.
Promotion of African artistes: The Black Panther franchise has emphasized African culture, including its music. For its official trailer it scored, Nigerian artist Terms No woman no cry cover, and, A Body, A Coffin, by Ghanaian artist Amaarae.
While the first installment of the film was primarily scored by Kendrick Lamar, it had a lot of African influences including from Senegalese artist Baaba Maal, who also gave an exquisite performance, alongside Massamba Diop at the Black Panther 2 comic con in San Diego.
Financial return: The first Black Panther broke box office records all across the world, including in Africa, where it grossed about $400,000, $300,000, and $6,274,562.28, in West Africa, East Africa, and South Africa, respectively. A percentage of this is being poured back into the African entertainment sector and as a result more jobs in the space.
Inclusion: Arguably Black Panther’s biggest achievement is the groundwork it laid for inclusion. Before Black Panther, there hadn’t been any exclusive African superhero movie. It is safe to assume that Black Panther has paved the way for African stories to be told on a grand scale, with the success of The Woman King being the latest proof of this. The movie also touched on very heavy themes including colonialism, racism, segregation, cultural appropriation, exploitation, African struggle against black American struggle, and more.
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