Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been playing in theaters for almost two full weeks now, and while the sequel’s original story had to be overhauled following Chadwick Boseman’s passing, Marvel Studios has yet another cinematic hit on its hands. In addition to Wakanda Forever being met with critical praise from professional critics and regular moviegoers alike, the Marvel movie has been killing it at the box office. Now director and co-writer Ryan Coogler has expressed his “gratitude” for the fans who’ve made Wakanda Forever so successful.
Marvel Studios’ official social media platforms, including Instagram, shared a message that Ryan Coogler penned a message thanking everyone who’s gone out to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in theaters. You can read what he had to say below:
Many were hit hard by the death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, Ryan Coogler included. The filmmaker even considered quitting his craft after losing the man who brought to T’Challa to life, and while he ultimately decided to move forward with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, shooting the sequel was the “hardest thing” he’s had to do professionally. But the work he and Wakanda Forever’s cast and crew poured into this project paid off, and while the movie isn’t leaving theaters anytime soon, Coogler fittingly wrote this letter right before Thanksgiving to thank everyone who’s not only checked out Wakanda Forever, but given him “professional purpose” and an “emotional outlet.”
At the time of this writing, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the eighth highest-grossing movie in the world with its $561.7 million global haul, sandwiching it between the Chinese releases Moon Man and The Battle of Lake Changjin II. We’ll have to wait and see if it can catch up to Thor: Love and Thunder’s $760.9 million or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ especially impressive $955.7 million, but there’s no question that Wakanda Forever is shining on both the critical and commercial fronts. It’ll reportedly be a while until the sequel becomes available for Disney+ subscribers to stream, so if you haven’t had the opportunity to see it yet, try to rectify that as soon as possible at your local theater. Those of you who’ve already seen Black Panther 2 should read our breakdown of Wakanda Forever’s ending and thoughts on the emotional end-credits scene.
The next movie Ryan Coogler worked on that’s coming up is Creed III, as he crafted the threequel’s story with Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin. Coogler is also an executive producer on Disney+’s upcoming Ironheart series and is still attached to work on a Wakanda series for the streaming service, which is where you can watch the Marvel movies in order. Our upcoming Marvel movies guide is also available to peruse, and hopefully we’ll be able to throw Black Panther 3 in there someday.
