BLACK PANTHER Star Lupita Nyong'o Says "Black Doesn’t Sell" Myth Had Marvel "Shaking In Their Boots"

BLACK PANTHER Star Lupita Nyong'o Says "Black Doesn’t Sell" Myth Had Marvel "Shaking In Their Boots"

During a new interview, Black Panther star Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia) revealed that Marvel Studios execs were concerned that the movie was going to be a hard sell during production...

By MarkCassidy - Oct 15, 2024 06:10 AM EST
Filed Under: Black Panther

Black Panther arrived in theaters in 2018, and went on to take in over $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office to become the highest-grossing movie ever featuring actors of color in the lead roles. It was also the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

However, there was a perception that Marvel was taking a big risk on the project at the time, and it seems those within the studio were also more than a little concerned about how the movie would ultimately be received.

While speaking about her latest movie, The Wild Robot, at a BFI London Film Festival event (via THR), Lupita Nyong’o was shown a clip from Black Panther featuring her character, Nakia, and Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, and became emotional when thinking about her late friend.

“The grief is the love, and no place to put it,” she said. “No, no… It’s fine. I don’t want to run away from the tears or the grief. You just live with it. That experience will never be separate from the love that was formed. I watch this clip and I’m filled with grief and I don’t know whether I’ll ever be done shedding my tears from losing my friend. But I’m like, we get to see him alive. And that’s so wonderful.”

Nyong'o went on to recall the incredibly positive response to the movie, while admitting that the studio did have some reservations.

“There was a lot of fear, definitely from the executives… Marvel was shaking a little bit in their boots!” she laughed, adding, “We were too because we were like, we only get to do this once. And we gotta do it right. But ultimately, it totally shattered the myth that Black doesn’t sell.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever didn't quite reach the same heights as the original, but was still a big hit.

The sequel ended with the new Black Panther, Shuri (Letitia Wright), making her way to a beach in Haiti to burn her funeral garb and finally allow herself to make peace with her brother's death. Then, in the mid-credits scene, we see Nakia join her with a young boy (Divine Love Konadu-Sun) by her side.

The lad is introduced as Toussaint, and we soon learn that he is the son of T’Challa and Nakia. As Shuri chats with her nephew, he tells her that his real name is T'Challa. This obviously suggests that the boy will eventually grow to take on the mantle of Black Panther, and possibly even rule Wakanda as king. 

It'll obviously be a while before T'Challa II comes of age, but when he does, Nyong'o believes he is the right person to succeed his late father.

"Nakia is uniquely placed to show him the ways, because she is his link to his father, and they've chosen to raise their son in the outside world," she said during a previous interview with IGN. "And so, that vision of a Wakanda that is open to the outside world is what he's uniquely poised to assume -- you know, the Wakanda of tomorrow, not the Wakanda of yesterday."

Nyong'o will almost certainly return as Nakia down the line, although a third Black Panther movie has yet to be officially announced.

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HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 10/15/2024, 6:50 AM
"it totally shattered the myth that Black doesn’t sell."
You already had a black superhero who wrapped up his own trilogy 14 years before your film.
User Comment Image
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/15/2024, 6:54 AM
@HashTagSwagg - Yeah, back in those days i think it was seen as a success, but now anything grossing less than 200mil is probably seen as a flop. (Blade 2 was the highest with 155mill, also R rated).

Black Panther was great movie though, only let down by the terrible VFX in the third act.
MisterDoctor217
MisterDoctor217 - 10/15/2024, 7:08 AM
@HashTagSwagg -

Exactly !! I don’t know why everyone forgets about those movies damn.


Also Hancock.
cubrn
cubrn - 10/15/2024, 7:13 AM
@HashTagSwagg - Those movies were not critically well-received and did not make a huge amount in profits.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:16 AM
@HashTagSwagg - @MisterDoctor217 - No one is forgetting about these films. They're clearly classics among the fans. But we're not talking about "black led films". We're talking about "black led films that made a LOT of money."
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:22 AM
@Conquistador - Exactly this. It just seems people have a proclivity to default to negativity instead of actually rationalizing.

But also, I agree with you about the VFX! It doesn't at all take away from the rest of the film for me. But that isolated instance is just inexcusable. These should be the best VFX artists on the planet.

And now that we're talking about it...what is it exactly that makes it so noticeable? It's like the physics is off. Or maybe the movement speed is TOO fluid. It looks rubbery almost.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/15/2024, 8:49 AM
@Tonic24k - It was them dam rhinos and then the fight in the cave at the end. The lighting and colours were not done well. Other than that, the rest was dope.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:53 AM
@Conquistador - The one in the cave when they're falling is what I remember. And yeah, just looked all around unnatural. But yeah, I can easily look past this one thing. Film was amazing.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/15/2024, 9:13 AM
@HashTagSwagg - Don't forget nearly every Will Smith movie in the 1990s and 2000s.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 9:51 AM
@soberchimera - He was already proven wrong tho...
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/15/2024, 9:59 AM
@Tonic24k - How by any rational margin was he proven wrong? Blade was made on a budget of 45 million and nearly tripled it's budget, Blade II only had a slightly higher budget of 54 million and nearly tripled it's budget as well. They were profitable, accept it, move on.
FrankenDad
FrankenDad - 10/15/2024, 2:23 PM
@MisterDoctor217 - Hancock was a snooze
MisterDoctor217
MisterDoctor217 - 10/15/2024, 9:02 PM
@FrankenDad -

Idk I really enjoyed it. I used to watch it a lot back then lol
ogrodafloresta
ogrodafloresta - 10/15/2024, 10:12 PM
@HashTagSwagg - Yeah, but this old movie didn't have to make at least 800 million dollars to be considered a success
FrankenDad
FrankenDad - 10/16/2024, 6:56 AM
@MisterDoctor217 - I only saw it the once. Perhaps I need a rewatch.
Forthas
Forthas - 10/15/2024, 7:09 AM
It is no secret that racism has hindered the careers of black film makers and actors for as long as there has been a film industry. Good to see that it is finally starting to be exposed and acknowledged.
HOTSHOT
HOTSHOT - 10/15/2024, 7:14 AM
I think Black Panther's success isn't just impressive because it had a black lead, it's the fact that a major superhero blockbuster revolved around African culture.


That was pretty dope. Even though I consider the film to be a 6/10 (I prefer Wakanda Forever), I still appreciate it for that, and I'm glad it gave that culture the representation they've dreamt of while watching these movies.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:29 AM
@HOTSHOT - Yes indeed! And although I put BP1 slightly over BP2, we're talking about a fraction of a margin. I LOVED BP2. It was truly an extension of its predecessor by exploring different cultures. As someone who is Spanish, I am so eNAMORed by how they adapted this lore. From the meaning of Namor's name to the underwater city, and everything in between. Not to mention the amazing tribute to Chadwick Boseman.
HOTSHOT
HOTSHOT - 10/15/2024, 8:45 AM
@Tonic24k - I loved that stuff too. Namor was a cool villain. Plus, the film made me love Shuri (I thought she was slightly annoyinng before). My biggest gripe is prolly Riri Williams (she didn't really need to be there).
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:58 AM
@HOTSHOT - Yeah, the Riri subplot had kind of an "unnecessary side mission" feel to it. But it didn't really bother me. The suit could've been better designed tho. Although it was probably intentionally designed to look like a mech suit in the alpha test stage of development.

Maybe it pays off in the long run so it doesn't look like, out of nowhere, some college girl was able to just build some perfectly engineered Iron Man esque suit in one shot as their first hand at it.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 10/15/2024, 7:43 AM
"Black doesn't sell?" Pfah! Tell that to the slave traders.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:33 AM
@ObserverIO - Lol! This is a Dave Chappelle level joke.

(But it only works if you don't have a racist reputation.)
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 10/15/2024, 8:39 AM
@Tonic24k - Thanks, I don't currently have a racist reputation nor could I ever be genuinely racist, but I guess you don't really need to be genuinely racist to get a racist reputation, so there's still hope.
Matchesz
Matchesz - 10/15/2024, 8:00 AM
The fact they act like Blade never existed and like racism is some new drug on the streets.
cubrn
cubrn - 10/15/2024, 8:02 AM
@Matchesz - The Blade movies were not good
S8R8M
S8R8M - 10/15/2024, 8:05 AM
@Matchesz - and Steel
RaddRider
RaddRider - 10/15/2024, 8:08 AM
@Matchesz - The Blade movies were so good
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:35 AM
@Matchesz - No one acted like that. They're talking about level of success, not JUST "black led films". If Black Panther made the same amount of money Blade did, you'd call it a flop.
Slotherin
Slotherin - 10/15/2024, 8:59 AM
@cubrn - the first Blade was okay. Kinda hokey honestly.
Guillermo del Toro elevated the second one and made something much better.
The third is an irredeemable mess.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/15/2024, 9:15 AM
@cubrn - The first two Blade films blow the doors down on Wakanda Forever.
Matchesz
Matchesz - 10/15/2024, 10:24 AM
@soberchimera - this is the correct response
OptimusRhyme
OptimusRhyme - 10/15/2024, 8:14 AM
I hear ya'll mentioning blade and Hancock etc... But youve got to remember BP was different in the fact that the majority of the film and cast was made up solely of black people so it was massively different in that respect.. And the fact that it hit the heights it reached was a momentous occasion and I'm so proud to have been around to see it irl.
#restnowmyking
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 10/15/2024, 8:16 AM
@OptimusRhyme - They know this, which is the entire reason they’re bringing up Blade to try undercut the movies success, as if the two even remotely comparable.
DarthAlgar
DarthAlgar - 10/15/2024, 8:40 AM
@FireandBlood - Pfft. You had Wakanda Forever so far up your tight ass that you'd reference it at any point you could. Even when the topic had nothing to do with it.

Random person - "An an entire village got massacred in Southeast Asia."

FireandBlood - "And Wakanda Forever $859 million globally!"

Random person - 🤨
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 8:41 AM
@FireandBlood - @OptimusRhyme - Exactly. They're so caught up in something praising "black led film" they ignored the "success" criteria entirely.

Black Panther - $1.3B

Blade - $1.3M

Funny how they think they're so right while missing this entire context.
Slotherin
Slotherin - 10/15/2024, 9:03 AM
@FireandBlood - I think the way discussion is framed definitely has an impact since some people have mistakenly gone to call BP the first black superhero film and that meaning could encapsulate those aforementioned 2.
But yeah; I'm very sure Ross's inclusion (aside from being the audience surrogate for exposition dumping) is to have a token white guy so it wasn't "too black"
Slotherin
Slotherin - 10/15/2024, 9:04 AM
@DarthAlgar - you literally just did the thing you accused @Fireandblood of
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 10/15/2024, 9:10 AM
@Slotherin - Shit talkers tend to speak before thinking. Then they either go silent so they can pretend they weren't completely wrong, or they double down and reach for nonsensical rationale to save face.

Let's see how this one plays out.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/15/2024, 9:18 AM
@FireandBlood - We're not trying to undercut Black Panther's success at all, it's just an incorrect statement to say "black doesn't sell" when a superhero movie with a black lead was the first successful Marvel theatrical release. How is stating that Blade was profitable diminish Black Panther's box office revenue?
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/15/2024, 9:21 AM
@Slotherin - Everett Ross was created by Christopher Priest solely because he didn't think white people would read his BP comic unless there was a white protagonist despite him being a lame, forgettable character, smh.
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