Black Panther will hit theaters on February 16, but it's already making a big box office impact. According to Variety, Black Panther is now outpacing all superhero movies in advance ticket sales.
The news comes weeks after The Hollywood Reporter stated that the film sold more advance tickets than previous top-seller Captain America: Civil War. That movie first introduced fans to Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa, a.k.a. the titular superhero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest. Now, the new movie has also bested DC flick Batman v. Superman.
So, yeah — you may want to secure your opening weekend ticket now. The FOMO will be all too real.
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The surge of pre-sale tickets may come from the fact that the lucky few who have seen the new movie are obsessed with it. Most Marvel movies have their fair share of buzz, but it seems that this particular superhero flick hit all the right notes.
Los Angeles Times writer Jen Yamato gushed about Black Panther on Twitter:
"BLACK PANTHER is incredible, kinetic, purposeful. A superhero movie about why representation & identity matters, and how tragic it is when those things are denied to people. The 1st MCU movie about something real; Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger had me weeping and he’s the VILLAIN."
BLACK PANTHER is incredible, kinetic, purposeful. A superhero movie about why representation & identity matters, and how tragic it is when those things are denied to people. The 1st MCU movie about something real; Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger had me weeping and he’s the VILLAIN
— jen yamato (@jenyamato) January 30, 2018
One way you know that Black Panther is a huge deal? It's star, Lupita Nyong'o, couldn't snag tickets for opening night, just minutes after trying. As she explained in a video she posted on Twitter:
"So, it's January 9, and yesterday around 10:30 a.m. the Black Panther tickets went on sale. I put it on my social media, I was so excited... And then it occurred to me, oh, I should get tickets, too, so that I can be there when the movie hits theaters and I can experience it with everybody... I kid you not, 15 minutes later, I was trying to purchase tickets, and they were sold out. Sold out! It told me there was an error, so I tried again. Still the same error. And every time I tried, there was fewer seats! There were no seats, and I was unable to buy tickets to see Black Panther on opening night!"
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@THR says @theblackpanther is @MarvelStudios best-selling movie in terms of presales after JUST 24 HOURS! Don’t I know it: I even tried!!!! #Throwback to a video I made last night. pic.twitter.com/aoJcdaqfhi
— Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) January 10, 2018
The hype surrounding the new MCU film is exciting, especially considering Black Panther is the first superhero film with a predominantly Black cast. For Black children to see heroes that look like them on the big screen, in a widely-celebrated movie? That's huge.
There is one issue with Black Panther's advanced success: If you haven't already scored your tickets for opening night, you may need to wait to watch this one on the big screen. Fortunately for those who have to wait the crowds out, you can now at least "listen" to Black Panther. Kendrick Lamar, who is co-producing the soundtrack, just dropped the Black Panther tracklist, which includes tracks from 2 Chainz, Future, Vince Staples and Anderson .Paak, in addition to Lamar's own "Black Panther."
Still, the best way to experience Black Panther is to go and see it. Go forth and refresh Fandango.