By Kashyah Williams

Marvel’s Black Panther was released in theaters on February 16. The film follows T’Calla, the king of the fictional land of Wakanda, rising to the throne in the isolated and technologically advanced country untouched by colonizers. The box office success made $404 million in just ten days. Over its second weekend of release, it has made $112 million.

The film stars Chadwick Boseman, who plays Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, and Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia. The cast is filled with many A-list black actors. Fans are coining the hashtag #WakandaForever. Ann Hornaday a movie critic at the Washington Post, says the film “Black Panther is exhilarating, groundbreaking and more than worth the wait.”

There is even talk of the film being a potential 2019 Oscar contender. The highly anticipated film is a must-see, highlighting authentic traditional African culture from various tribes. Both celebrities and fans alike even paid tribute by wearing all black to the movie theater.

Director Ryan Coogler says, “I was very honest about the idea I wanted to explore in this film, which is what it means to be African. That was one of the first things I talked about. And they were completely interested.”

A costume designer for three decades, Ruth E. Carter has made a “career putting images of African-American history and contemporary culture onscreen, from Spike Lee’s canon to Selma and the recent remake of Roots. For the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther, she got to envision a futuristic African alternate reality made up of diverse tribes and untouched by colonizers,” according to the New York Times. The Afro futuristic wardrobe in the film features Masaai headdresses, traditional neck rings, and cloaks.

Black Panther depicts black excellence on the big screen, which has been long overdue.

If you love Marvel comics, be sure to be on the lookout for the next Marvel film, Avengers: Infinity War, to be released on May 4.