'Black Panther' reaches $1 bln globally, sequel confirmed

The power of Black Panther is unstoppable as the Disney/Marvel blockbuster reaped in more than one billion US dollars at box offices worldwide.

The studio said Saturday that the milestone is based on Disney’s estimate of ticket sales, which means it took only 26 days to cross the line.

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that a sequel is already on the agenda in an interview published Friday by Entertainment Weekly. "We absolutely will do that."

Disney also noted that Black Panther is the fifth film in the Marvel Universe to cross the one-billion-US dollar mark. The others are The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man 3, and Captain America: Civil War.

Chinese moviegoers also showed their enthusiasm, contributing 140 million yuan ($22.7 million) on the film's opening day in the world's second largest film market on Friday. The box office was pushed higher the second day with another 170 million yuan.

Industry observers earlier expected the film to take in 60 million US dollars in the Chinese market in its opening weekend.

Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan, stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther, who returns home as king of Wakanda but finds his sovereignty challenged by a new adversary, in a conflict with global consequences.

Besides numbers, the film's success bears a greater meaning - a groundbreaking celebration of black culture.

Black Panther features a line-up dominated by black actors and strays away from the stereotypical portrayal of Africans and African-Americans. What's more, women are also highlighted in the film as some of the smartest and physically powerful characters were played by female actors.

"Something like Marvel has a way of really affecting popular culture, and to have that popular culture informed with things that are of African origin and people knowing they are of African origin... is powerful," Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, who plays warrior Nakia, told Reuters.

"Hopefully it changes the general idea of what being an African is. Too often times we see Africa as a place that is wanting and here it's a place that you want to go," she said.