Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama is heaping praise on Marvel's Black Panther, calling it an inspiration for young people around the world. Creed director Ryan Coogler finally managed to bring T'Challa's story onto the big screen - based on a script he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole - after the film spent more than two decades stuck in development hell. And it turns out, it was worth the wait because the film is breaking all sorts of records in addition to inspiring people.
Comic book fans, general moviegoers, and industry professionals are all praising Black Panther as well as congratulating the film's cast and crew on their well-deserved success - and that includes the team's colleagues at Marvel Studios. Fellow Marvel director James Gunn congratulated Coogler on Twitter over the weekend, which was followed by a slew of Marvel actors and actresses encouraging people to see the film. Captain Marvel's Brie Larson even said audiences will be "forever impacted" by seeing Black Panther. Even though the weekend's over, the praise isn't slowing down.
Related: Black Panther Breaks February Opening Record
Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States, applauded Black Panther on Twitter today, calling it an inspiration in addition to thanking the cast and crew for creating a film that all audiences can look up to and derive courage from. Take a look:
Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 19, 2018
There's no denying that Black Panther is having a significant impact on society as well as the filmmaking industry as a whole, just like Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman did last summer. Sure, Black Panther isn't the first black superhero movie ever to release, but it's certainly the most successful - both critically and commercially - by a longshot. It's not only tied for being the highest-rated superhero film ever made, but it also earned the fifth highest-grossing opening weekend of all-time at the domestic box office. That's no easy feat, especially for a superhero movie that released in February, no less.
Even before the film released, people were donating to the #BlackPantherChallenge crowdfunding campaign so that children all over the world, particularly those who typically can't afford to see movies in theaters, could watch Black Panther over its opening weekend. The campaign raised well over $400,000 prior to Black Panther's release, and it's guaranteed to have had an impact on local communities around the world. It's safe to say that even though Black Panther just released in theaters, Michelle Obama is right; it will have a significant impact and inspire people of all backgrounds.
More: Can Black Panther Make $1 Billion?
Source: Michelle Obama/Twitter
