Some Nigerians have expressed mixed
reactions to the success of superhero flick,
‘Black Panther’, especially as the film hits a
box office record of 1 billion dollars.
The Marvel-Disney film crossed the 1 billion
dollars mark worldwide after debuting in China,
which contributed 66.5 million dollars to a
strong 100 million dollars international
weekend.
Some respondents praised the movie and said
that it gave black people the chance to tell a
story the way it suited them.
They also said that the featuring of African
(especially Nigerian) artefacts such as the
‘Bronze heads’ from Benin gave a sense of
inclusion; rewriting the stale, poor stereotypes
of the African continent.
A lawyer, Kingsley Obade said that he had
seen the movie about four times, adding that
he was almost addicted to the beauty of the
almost all-black cast.
He said, “This is a different kind of Marvel or
super hero film. This is one that holds so
many lessons that we can teach our children
and make them adore their colour and
continent.
“The western world has portrayed us poorly for
so long and it is only fair that we celebrate
this film that has decided to change the
narrative.”
A Chef, Chinwe Orji, said she did not feel the
movie was over-hyped as speculated in some
quarters, adding that the movie deserved to
earn more than the current record breaking
hit.
Orji said, “Everything in the movie, from the
acting to the costume and the message
speaks volumes. The movie deserves to make
more money.”
Meanwhile, some other respondents said that
the producers of ‘Black Panther’ were acting
on the ‘black sentiments to make more money.
They queried the fact that the producers were
‘whites’ who based the marketing on making
blacks feel represented, knowing that it would
make them rush to watch the film.
A copywriter, Rita Enemona, said the movie
was over rated and was ‘doused in the colour
of a black cast’ to make it look appealing.
“I was not too pleased with the trailer but
decided to watch it because all my friends
were pushing me to do so.
“To say the least, the movie did not meet my
heightened expectations, it does not have the
power to grip you, save the costumes and
arts,” Enemona said.
A web developer, Osato Imariagbe, said the
movie would have made more sense if real
African scenarios were used, apart from the
Chibok girls’ rescue.
“The movie wanted to paint a positive image
of Africa and blacks in general, it would have
used real life examples of how Africans have
the upper hand, that way the inclusion will be
legitimate.
“I don’t understand the hype as it is a Marvel
comic that has existed for years, the story
was only revised a bit for the film. There is
nothing too special,” he said.
Black Panther, which is showing in cinemas,
made its Nigerian debut on February 13, with
an ‘African Royalty’ themed premiere.
The premiere featured celebrities and other
cinema goers gracing the red carpet with
African prints and attire.
It stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B.
Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin
Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright,
Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest
Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.
The movie featured Black Panther (Boseman),
who on his return home as king of Wakanda, a
fictional country found his sovereignty
challenged by a long-time adversary thereby
setting in conflict of global consequences.
It received praise for the screenplay,
characters, direction, costume design, action
sequences, soundtrack, and performances.
‘Black Panther’ has been referred to as one of
the best films set in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe (MCU), noting its cultural
significance.