‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Continues Its Reign At The Box Office

The sequel ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ still sits atop Hollywood’s list of box office winners, earning $67 million in its second weekend.

Its opening weekend delivered $188 million and has generated $288 million in North America with $543.6 million garnered globally to date.

But beyond the dollars racked in by Disney’s blockbuster are the memories and salutes offered in honor of the movie’s beloved Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the first installment of ‘Black Panther.’ Boseman died in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. He was 43. 

Filmmaker Chris Phillips said, “When they dropped the first trailer … my biggest  question was, ‘How are they going to handle this [Boseman’s death]?’ When I noticed it in the film and saw everyone wearing all white, I thought this must be the funeral scene.”

Phillips recalled he decided he would wear white to the theater to see the movie during its opening weekend. 

He added, “It was kinda dope to be in all white just like they were in that scene.”

Costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who won an Oscar in 2019 for her work in the first film, told the Hollywood Reporter, “It [the white attire] was divided by tribes. A lot of people have on African garb with details like beadwork or fur to indicate their tribe. You’ll see Zulu, you’ll see Ndebele, you’ll see the Maasai. The Border Tribe is distinguished by the Basotho blankets, while the Merchant Tribe is inspired by the Tuareg and the turbans and we infused the big silver earrings they wear. Then you see the Ndebele graphic prints and linework on Ramonda’s white dress. The Mining Tribe is represented by the priestess, who wears a Himba head piece, and the River Tribe by the man with the white lip plate and ceremonial costume, the whole nine.”

For Phillips, his white wear included sneakers he had not worn in years and part of his design was dictated by the weather. 
On his Facebook page, he wrote, “The cloak I was going to wear was too thin, so this is the best I could do (weather considered) to honor Chadwick Boseman.”
At the world premiere of the movie, some of the stars wore white. Director Ryan Coogler, Angela Bassett and other members of the cast walked the purple carpet decked out in white. Fans saw it as their decision to embrace the social media call making the rounds encouraging Black and Latino moviegoers to wear white. ‘Wakanda Forever’ introduced an underwater world populated by a feathered serpent God K’uk’ulkan, or Namor “to his enemies. Namor, who is played by Tenoch Huerta Mejia, has both Mayan and Aztec influences. 
The new addition has brought more diversity into the Wakanda story. As a filmmaker, Phillips appreciates the new angle and is still applauding the way African Americans remain at the center of the film.
He added, “I loved how Black people just showed up … it really gives us an idea of how Africa could be without European colonization.”