‘Black Panther’ Dominates Box Office, Opens Door for Dialogue

By Aaron Earls

Black Panther, the latest Marvel superhero movie, conquered villains and box office records.

The film had the fifth largest three-day domestic opening ever with an estimated $192 million haul. That total would be the largest opening ever in February, the largest opening for an African-American director, and the second largest opening among Marvel movies, behind only The Avengers in 2012.

With a predominantly black cast and crew, Black Panther drew a diverse audience. A moviegoer survey by comScore found viewers were 37 percent African-American, 35 percent white, 18 percent Hispanic, 5 percent Asian, and 5 percent other ethnicities.

In the film, Chadwick Boseman stars as T’Challa/Black Panther. As the king of the fictional African country Wakanda, T’Challa wrestles with the legacy of his father, his nation’s responsibilities to the rest of the world, and a usurper to his newly established throne.

Why this matters to the church: In a moment when culture is struggling with issues of race, Black Panther provides heretofore unrealized representation for African-Americans in a big superhero blockbuster film.

As evangelicals are coming to grips with ethnic divisions, the film can provide opportunities for dialogue and a chance for white evangelicals to listen to African-American evangelicals about why Black Panther resonates with them.

Debriefing #blackpanther with @AnacostiaRC fam! Lot of love in here for #Killmonger! 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/5E2V7HGzNP

— Thabiti Anyabwile (@ThabitiAnyabwil) February 19, 2018

It can also provide a bridge for a gospel conversation. Many African-Americans see Wakanda, the fictional African nation in Black Panther, as a place where they can find peace and prosperity.

For those who do not know Christ, this may awaken a heavenly longing in them. As C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”