Everybody is singing the praises of Black Panther after seeing it this weekend. In this case, everybody includes Oprah Winfrey, who posted her thoughts on the film and she says it all, as only she can. It's little surprise that she loved the film. She calls it "phenomenal" and compliments the films multiple layers of story. However, it's the way she closes out her tweet that makes her voice just come through the words. Try to read it and not hear Oprah's voice in your head.
Oprah goes so far as to spell out "Wakanda Forever" in just the way she would be saying it if you were watching her talk about Black Panther on her old TV show. The words come singing off of Twitter. That response has been echoed by many over the last few days as a whole lot of people saw Black Panther over its opening weekend. The film appears to have made over $200 million during its opening weekend, and with today being a holiday for many in the U.S. that total is only going to continue to increase.
Oprah's excitement is what's palpable in her Twitter review and it's a feeling that many have had since seeing Black Panther. It's clear based on the film's success that this was a movie that a lot of people were waiting to see. Comic book superhero movies are some of the biggest films being produced today and while Black Panther wasn't the first in the genre to have a black star or a black director, comic book movies simply weren't as popular back when those previous attempts were made. Black Panther had already cemented itself a place as one of the biggest movies of the year.
The sentiment that Black Panther is a layered film is also one that hasn't gone unnoticed by other viewers. While I would argue with the idea that Black Panther is the first Marvel movie that's "about something" it's a description that many have given the film, and it can't be argued that Black Panther absolutely has something to say about the world in which we live. The fact that it's able to say it, while still providing a Disney superhero tentpole movie experience at the same time, is part of what makes the movie so impressive.
If Black Panther follows Wonder Woman, a similar comic book movie that successfully inspired an audience, look for it to rack up the box office success for the next several weeks. There are a lot more people who are going to want to visit Wakanda, and probably more than a few who are going to want to go more than once.
