Black Panther (Film)

Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film belonging to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring action adventure and science fiction genres. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the screenplay was written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole. The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira and Martin Freeman, and centers on the story of T'Challa, who returns to his homeland after the death of his father King T'Chaka in the film Captain America: Civil War.

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Centuries ago, five African tribes fought over a meteorite containing vibranium. One warrior consumed a heart-shaped herb affected by the metal and gained superhuman abilities, becoming the first Black Panther. This warrior united all tribes except the Jabari and founded the nation of Wakanda. The Wakandan people used vibranium to advance their technology and isolated themselves from the world by presenting themselves as a poor third-world country. In 1992, Wakanda’s then-king T'Chaka visited his brother N'Jobu in Oakland, California. T'Chaka accused N'Jobu of collaborating with arms dealer Ulysses Klaue to steal vibranium from Wakanda; Zuri, who was known as N'Jobu’s accomplice, confirmed this accusation as a secret Wakandan agent. During the ensuing confrontation, T'Chaka was forced to kill N'Jobu to protect Zuri and left N'Jobu’s son Erik behind in Oakland before returning to Wakanda.

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In the present day, following his father’s death, T'Challa returns to his isolated and technologically advanced homeland to become Wakanda’s new king. During the coronation ceremony, M'Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe, challenges him for the throne; however, T'Challa defeats him in ritual combat and secures his rule. Meanwhile, Klaue and Erik (Killmonger) steal a historical artifact made of vibranium from a museum in London. T'Challa, accompanied by Dora Milaje leader Okoye and his former lover Nakia, launches an operation in Busan, South Korea, to capture Klaue. A confrontation erupts at an underground casino where Klaue plans to sell the artifact to CIA agent Everett K. Ross. Klaue is captured by T'Challa as he attempts to flee, but when Ross is severely injured while protecting Nakia, T'Challa abandons the pursuit of Klaue and takes Ross to Wakanda for treatment using Wakandan technology.

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Killmonger kills Klaue, brings his body to Wakanda, and reveals his identity as Erik, the son of N'Jobu. Claiming his right to the throne, Killmonger defeats T'Challa in ritual combat, throws him over a waterfall, and becomes the new king of Wakanda. Killmonger intends to distribute Wakanda’s advanced weapons to agents worldwide to ignite a global uprising and orders the destruction of all heart-shaped herbs that grant the Black Panther his powers. However, Nakia secretly saves the last herb. It is discovered that T'Challa has been rescued by the Jabari tribe and is in a coma; thanks to the herb brought by Nakia, T'Challa recovers and regains his strength. T'Challa returns to Wakanda to confront Killmonger, and with the support of Ross, Nakia, Okoye, Shuri, and the Dora Milaje warriors, he thwarts Killmonger’s global weapons distribution plan. T'Challa disables Killmonger’s armor in a vibranium mine, inflicting fatal injuries. Killmonger chooses to die freely like his ancestors rather than be imprisoned in Wakanda. In the film’s conclusion, T'Challa establishes a humanitarian and technological center in Oakland and reveals Wakanda’s true potential to the United Nations^【1】.

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Produced by Kevin Feige on behalf of Marvel Studios, the film is estimated to have had a budget of approximately $200 million. Filming locations included the Iguazú Falls in Argentina. The score was composed by Ludwig Göransson, and the cinematography was handled by Rachel Morrison. The local language spoken among the Wakandan people in the film is Xhosa, a South African language characterized by click consonants. The idea to use Xhosa as Wakanda’s language was proposed by South African actor John Kani, who portrayed King T'Chaka, T'Challa’s father.

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The main cast and their characters are as follows:

• Chadwick Boseman: T'Challa / Black Panther
• Michael B. Jordan: N'Jadaka / Erik Killmonger
• Lupita Nyong'o: Nakia
• Danai Gurira: Okoye
• Martin Freeman: Everett K. Ross
• Daniel Kaluuya: W'Kabi
• Letitia Wright: Shuri
• Winston Duke: M'Baku
• Angela Bassett: Ramonda
• Forest Whitaker: Zuri
• Andy Serkis: Ulysses Klaue
• Sterling K. Brown: N'Jobu

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Released on 16 February 2018, Black Panther achieved significant commercial success worldwide. The film earned $202,003,951 during its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, and a total of $700,426,566 in those regions. Its worldwide box office gross reached $1,349,926,083. Distributed in Türkiye by UIP Türkiye, the film was watched by 229,635 viewers during its opening weekend, generating ₺3,660,414 in revenue. Over its 16-week theatrical run, it attracted a total of 718,743 viewers and earned ₺10,662,657 in total revenue^【2】.

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Black Panther received widespread critical acclaim and was honored with numerous prestigious film awards, beginning with the Academy Awards (Oscars). The film won 125 awards and received 289 nominations^【3】. At the 2019 Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture and won three Oscars. Ludwig Göransson won for Best Original Score, Ruth E. Carter for Best Costume Design, and Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart for Best Production Design. Beachler and Carter became the first African American winners in the categories of Production Design and Costume Design respectively in cinema history^【4】.

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The film also won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Ludwig Göransson) and received nominations for the song "All the Stars." It was recognized at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) for Best Visual Effects and won first place at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards in the categories of Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture^【5】.