When Marvel released “Iron Man” in 2008, people didn’t expect much about it. Therefore, no one would have guessed it was just the start of a new ear that would take us over a decade in the future and continue to be the franchise we expect movies every year the most.
Among all these films released by Marvel along with Disney, Black Panther is at the top of the best so far, and we can’t just forget about it when someone played the main character as charismatic and warming as Chadwick Boseman who we dearly miss.
So, in order to bring tribute to his death, which will soon come up to its first year anniversary, and remember how amazing the movie was, we decided to dedicate it to the space it deserves as part of phase 3 for the studio.
Also, we will include details we are confident you didn’t know about, and if you haven’t watched it yet (which we greatly doubt), don’t worry; we will do our best to avoid all the spoilers as much as we can since we are more interested in a few aspects.
Plot & Cast: The Essence of the Film
Although Marvel movies are always connected, we feel we are capable of going through this plot overview and cast members without providing the spoilers as we previously mentioned.
However, keep in mind that watching this movie without watching the rest or, at least, taking the time to do so after you binged this one is almost a crime we cannot forget.
Thus, you better consider binging the rest if you want a better understanding and expectation for this film.
With that in mind, Black Panther takes us on a wild ride you will get to imagine after reading the plot.
The story starts with five tribes of Africans fighting over a meteorite containing Vibranium, known as the most precious metal on Earth, throughout Marvel’s films.
One warrior accidentally ingests a “heart-shaped herbal” affected by the metal, which leads him to gain superhuman abilities and become the first “Black Panther” among the tribes.
This new superhuman unites all tribes except the Jabari Tribe and creates the nation of Wakanda.
It follows by showing how the Wakandans have used the Vibranium for centuries to create advanced technology and become isolated from the rest of the world, posing as Third World countries and a technologically advanced African nation.
With the introduction of the country and tribe, we are set in the aftermath of “Captain America: Civil War (2016)” and in the wake of King T’Chaka’s death, which leads young Prince T’Challa to return to his secluded homeland in Wakanda to prepare for his coronation as the next King for the country.
However, the T’challa appears and rises as the new King, he will soon have to face the technologically advanced country’s arch-enemy, the arms-dealer Ulysses Klaue, who is very aware of Wakanda’s secrets regarding technology and is determined to make a profit with the aid of the megalomaniac, Erik Killmonger.
Can the noble “Black Panther,” who was introduced in Captain America’s film, protect the throne and the land’s future?
Although many don’t find it necessary to watch “Captain America: Civil War,” we highly recommend it as it is Black Panther’s first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and comes with many details you should get to know.
As for the cast involved in the movie, we have new faces to the universe that was more than welcome:
- Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther.
- Michael B. Jordan as N’Jadaka/Erik “Killmonger” Stevens.
- Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia.
- Danai Gurira as Okoye.
- Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross.
- Andy Serkis as Ulyssess Klaue.
- Angela Bassett as Ramonda.
- Winston Duke as M’Baku.
- Letitia Wright as Shuri.
Others are also included in the main cast as well as in the secondary one.
Going Behind the Scenes: Production & Companies
As you can expect, the producers, writers, and companies involved in making the film are almost the same involved in the rest of the movies in the MCU so far until this one was released in 2018 and the ones that followed.
What changes the most is that Black Panther was directed by Ryan Coogler, who was also involved as a writer, and Joe Robert Cole.
For the production, Kevin Feige continued in the role while cinematography was dealt with by Rachel Morrison, and edition for Michael P. Shawver and Debbie Berman.
Finally, the production company is only Marvel Studios, while Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures handled the distribution.
The movie based on the Marvel comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby has been in development since 1992 when Wesley Snipes announced his intention in making one based on the character.
However, it wasn’t until September 2005 when Black Panther was officially announced as one of the films that Marvel Studios was going to invest in for its making.
The negotiations with a distributor and process to make the movie and its filming were long, and it takes us to 2014 when Kevin Feige announced the date release for the film with Chadwick Boseman as the main character who didn’t even audition for the role.
Finally, the pre-production started in January 2016, and the principal photography began on January 21, 2017.
After completing the shooting process, the movie was set to be released on January 29, 2018, in Dolby Theatre and later on February 16, during the same year in the USA.
But How Much Did It Make? Salaries & Box Office
It isn’t a secret for anyone that Marvel’s movies have been a boom for the past decade in terms of budgets, salaries, and box offices.
With “Avengers: Endgame” being the second highest-grossing of all time (and the first for months), you can expect that the previous films from the MCU won’t disappoint.
Black Panther had a budget of $200 million, and it sure paid off the money spent due to the reception and box office.
In total, the movie grossed $700.1 million in the United States and Canada, while $646.9 million in other territories are included for the worldwide total of $1.3 billion.
Due to this reception, the film became the highest-grossing solo superhero movie and the third-highest-grossing film of the MCU.
With this box office and considering the budget, marketing expenses, and other costs, the film’s revenue set at $476.8 million, according to “Deadline Hollywood.”
So much money involved indeed, so where does this leave us when it comes to salaries?
As the main character playing “Black Panther,” Chadwick was paid about $5 million, which included an additional payment for the movie’s profits based on the agreement Disney has with most of the actors and actresses.
For example, Robert Downey Jr. received a handsome percentage for “Avengers: Endgame” successful box office.
Meanwhile, other actors involved in Black Panther and part of the main cast had salaries from $1 million to $2.5 million, without disclosed details.
Secondary members were presumably paid about $200k for their participation.
Top 7 Interesting Facts About Black Panther
- The film is based on African settings. However, no scene was shot in Africa. Instead, the entire movie was filmed in Georgia.
- The fight choreographies are based on Capoeira, an African-Brazilian martial art.
- Black Panther was the first movie from Marvel to win an Academy Award.
- The suit for “Black Panther” was inspired by geometric prints from Botswana and other Marvel superheroes and DC the costume designer took the time to research.
- The name of “Wakanda” is fictional yet given after the Wakamba tribe inhabiting Kenya.
- Chadwick used a South African accent which Marvel didn’t want him to use initially.
- It took Michael B. Jordan about three hours to get into character due to his villain’s body.
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