We are just about at the halfway point between Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, and while the focus has turned to the latter, the former is still busy breaking records. Black Panther has already obliterated the lofty expectations given to a Marvel film, blowing past a billion dollars, becoming one of the highest grossing films of all time and maintaining its first place spot at the box office in its fifth week in release. Black Panther has taken over the zeitgeist as well, as the latest broken record can attest. Ryan Coogler's film now stands as the most tweeted-about movie of all time.
In our social media age, success is not just measured in dollars, but also in engagement, and Black Panther has dominated in both categories. According to Twitter Movies, Black Panther is now the most tweeted-about movie of all time, having amassed over 35 million tweets. That number was even good enough to surpass previous record holders Star Wars: The Force Awakens and last year's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Considering the longevity of the Star Wars franchise and the anticipation for its return in 2015, that is absolutely insane, and speaks to the resonance Black Panther has had. The most retweeted tweet about the Marvel film was Kendrick Lamar's January post of the track list to the film's soundtrack, which he curated.
It may be some time before the true impact of Black Panther's success is fully calculated, but this is just another example of how quickly and completely this movie became ingrained in pop culture. It was an event like few others, and records like this one in some ways speak louder than box office dollars. It's one thing to spend your money on something, it's another to talk about it and engage with others about it. Black Panther excited people, and more than just seeing it, they wanted to celebrate it and act out their favorite scenes. Marvel Studios took a gamble and it paid off handsomely. Disney and Marvel will surely alter their strategy and push greater diversity in the future to try and replicate this success, and every other studio will likely do the same.
The focus now turns to Avengers: Infinity War. The biggest superhero film in history looked like an easy winner in all categories heading into this year, but nobody expected Black Panther to hit in the way it did. It's worth considering that Black Panther may even outgross Infinity War, although that is up for debate. Infinity War is already the third most tweeted-about movie of 2018, and the rising tide of Black Panther should lift Infinity War to incredible heights. T'Challa, Shuri, Okoye and Wakanda return to the big screen when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27. For all the latest on the ratio of tweets to dollars, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
