Michelle Obama Congratulates Black Panther Makers

Michelle Obama has sent congratulations to the makers of Black Panther after a weekend that saw the superhero film rack up blockbuster box-office takings.

"I loved this movie," wrote the former First Lady on Monday.

"Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen," she said.

And it seems she's not alone in loving the movie - with box office takings far higher than anticipated.

Revised studio estimates put its US and Canada grosses over the four-day President's Day weekend at more than $235m (£168m).

That's miles ahead of the $120m (£86m) the film was predicted to take over the same period as recently as last month.

Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins joined Mrs Obama in celebrating the film's achievement.

Based on the Marvel comic book character, Black Panther revolves around the ruler of a fictional central African nation who moonlights as a costumed crime-fighter.

The film has drawn praise for having a black director Creed's Ryan Coogler and a predominantly black cast, the majority of whom speak with African accents.

According to Fortune, Black Panther's success is "dispelling industry concerns that a superhero movie revolving almost entirely around black characters [can] resonate with a general audience".

"No studio can say again, 'Oh, black movies don't travel, overseas interest will be minimal," box-office analyst Jeff Bock told the publication last week.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS
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