Valentine’s Day is Feb.14, as usual. Next month's most anticipated holiday, however, could be Feb.16, aka “Black Panther” day.
That's the official opening date of theMarvel franchise's latest movie, which already is poised to become a major hit. "Black Panther" is expectedto earn as much as$120 million during its first weekend, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
That puts it in the same stratosphere as box-office smash "Thor: Ragnarok" and within striking distance of Marvel mega-successeslike "Deadpool" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2."
Whatever“Black Panther” rakes in at theaters, it is bound to be acultural moment. Set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda and featuring a predominately African-American cast, this superhero epic is spurring fans to hold special events and viewing parties.
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At the Bel Air Luxury Cinemain Detroit, about a dozen group rentals are booked for the opening weekend and the venue isn't accepting any more requests for those dates. The following weekend's bookings are beginning to accumulate, too.
Usually,a new film’s opening weekend might generate one or two such rentals.
“Oh my goodness, it’s definitely more than normal, absolutely,” says Bel Air general manager Johny Thomas. “I’m getting groups fromsorority alumni to high school reunions to church groups to fund-raisers.”
"Black Panther" alsohas inspired a crowdfunding effort in southeast Michiganthat will allow alarge group of Ypsilanti High School students see “Black Panther” for free.
Hero Nation-Ypsilanti, a local comics convention, set out in early January to raise $3,000 throughYouCaring.com.
It took three hours to meet thatgoal, which will covertickets, concessionsand a special gift for more than100 students. Since then, the total has grown to more than $10,000 from 500-plus donors. The money left over after the screening will go towardHero Nation-Ypsilanti's future projects andgoal of becoming asocial-movement nonprofit group with year-round events.
"If the movie only inspires one youth to feel empowered, to feel emboldened, that matters,” says Hero Nation founder Jermaine Dickerson, a graphic designer and longtime comic book fan who wants to utilize the power of comic booksuperheroes to uplift and educate.
The core group attending the screening will be students from classes taught by Ypsilanti Community High School art teacher Lynne Settles. Some of themappeared recently in a YouTube video capturing their reaction to the news that the money hadbeen raised.
It's just a sample of the cheering and applause that awaits"Black Panther."
The movie stars Chadwick Boseman in the title role of the superhero who was introduced on the big screen in 2016's “Captain America: Civil War.” The cast also includes Angela Bassett, Michael B. Jordan, Sterling K. Brown ofNBC's “This is Us,” Danai Gurira of AMC's “The Walking Dead,” Forest Whitaker and 2018 best actor Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya of "Get Out."
Black Panther, whose history asMarvel characterdates back to 1966, is the alter ego ofT’Challa, the ruler of the African nation of Wakanda, a technologically advanced countrythat's isolatedfrom the rest of the world.
LIke Netflix's"Luke Cage" and"Black Lightning" on the CW, the "Black Panther" movie puts a prominent spotlight on black superheroes. Its potential impact on young people has prompted many fundraising efforts to help young people – particularly students of color from lower-income communities – experienceits empowering message.
AGoFundMe campaign launched by New Yorker Frederick Joseph started out with a goal of raising $10,000 to takechildren fromthe Harlem Boys & Girls Club to see "Black Panther." So far, it has received more than $100,000 and spurred 90 similar campaigns across the country.
Joseph's effort, spread on Twitter through the#BlackPanther Challenge, has gottensupport fromcelebrities like Snoop Doggand Viola Davis. And all ofthe money raised is going to the Boys & Girls Club, because Ellen DeGeneres has pledged to cover the cost ofthe entire screening.
Dickerson says he found out about Joseph's efforts after starting the Hero Nation-Ypsilantidriveand has been in touch with him through Twitter.
“He’s doing amazing things," says Dickerson. ”We all have the same cause and same mission."
Dickerson, who grew up in Detroit, held the first free, family-friendly Hero Nation-Ypsilanti comic con in2017 atYpsilanti's Parkridge Community Center. He says heworked withcommunity groups, 826michigan, Eastern Michigan University,Ypsilanti libraries and schoolsand businesses like Go! Ice Cream to make the idea a reality.
Hero Nation-Ypsilanti has agoal of amplifying voices of the marginalized and under-represented, including people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, and people with disabilities. Dickerson saysits mission of inclusiveness and empowerment weredriven by concerns over what Donald Trump presidency would mean forsuch groups and"seeing the level of injusticeand inequity and inequality in the world and seeing the amount of pain and hurt."
Adds Dickerson, “I felt a sense of urgency to pursue this mission and also to give peopleagency to celebrate the heroes of the world, people who are trying to make a difference, whether they be fictional or real."
Dickerson says comic book fans and artists "always speak about that one moment where they felt empowered, where their life was changed forever. Just maybe, 'Black Panther' can be that for somebody."
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture writer Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.
