The Black Panther star said Marvel was nervous about the movie.

Key Takeaways

• Marvel executives were concerned about producing the first Black Panther film due to doubts about its success.
• Lupita Nyong'o and the cast shared these fears, knowing the importance of getting it right.
• Black Panther's impact broke stereotypes and was a major commercial success for Marvel.

during black panther The film turned out to be the best reviewed and biggest commercial success in the MCU outside of the tentpole Avengers movies. It turns out the company was a little nervous about sending the original franchise in that direction. In fact, I think there were at least a few senior people who were “a little nervous” about investing so much money in their first venture. black panther movie.

Lupita Nyong'o is no newcomer to the industry and may have had different reactions to different approaches throughout her career. But how did Marvel executives get so seemingly nervous? black panther It stood out to her. Years later, she finally spoke about her memories of those early days before the phrase “Wakanda Forever” was uttered in every Marvel fan's living room.

Black Panther actress addresses Marvel's concerns

that us An actress was recently interviewed. The Hollywood ReporterShe discussed a number of topics, focusing on the first Black Panther film and how much she misses co-star Chadwick Boseman. She said that while Marvel's higher-ups were nervous about the first MCU film to feature a predominantly black cast, the film's actors were also nervous because they knew what would happen if it wasn't a critical or commercial success.

“There was definitely a lot of fear from management, including us, because we can only do this once, and we have to do it right.”

But once black panther Upon release, it was a box office success and received rave reviews from critics. Quiet Place: Day 1 The star realized that the film actually did a great job of not only calming nerves about the MCU's somewhat historic films, but also showing that there was a reason to go back to them. Nyong'o said he and the cast realized that. black panther“It completely busted the myth that black doesn’t sell well.”

black panther It became one of the MCU's most successful films in its 16-year history. It grossed $1.35 billion worldwide, making it the sixth highest-grossing superhero film of all time. It also resulted in a sequel that eventually had to be changed when lead actor Chadwick Boseman passed away from cancer.

Although Marvel eventually released reimagined and reimagined works.Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Given the off-screen deaths of several characters and protagonists from the first film, there are signs that Nyong'o wasn't wrong about the fears the studio felt when making the first film. In 2019, Marvel President Ike Perlmutter publicly expressed a lack of confidence in the direction things were moving and increasing diversity in the MCU. Studio president Kevin Feige confirmed that there are some within Marvel Studios who share Perlmutter's reluctance. But those concerns may have been quashed after the original's billion-dollar-plus windfall. black panther Since then, about $900 million has been paid out in paydays. Wakanda Forever Despite Boseman not being in the sequel.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter