In honor of Black History Month, Black Panther will be screened twice a day at 250 participating AMC Theater locations for free.
Recently winning the award for Best Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Black Panther was the highest-grossing film of 2018.
Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of Disney, said, “Black Panther is groundbreaking for many reasons, including the rich diversity of voices behind its success.”
Even though the film is available for purchase on blu-ray and via streaming on Netflix, bringing it back to the big screen is still projected to draw crowds based on the ticketing websites disclaimer reading, “Once tickets are all claimed, we’ll open up a limited waiting list for cancellations before showing it as ‘Fully booked’.”
Black Panther is nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, along with seven other nominations. It is the first superhero movie to be nominated in that category.
In addition to a week-long free showing, Disney is giving a $1.5 million grant to the United Negro College Fund, which provides scholarship opportunities to help minorities attend college.
Black Panther is regarded as a cultural phenomenon and celebration of African American culture. The predominantly African American cast, inspires African Americans across the nation with several viewers getting emotional upon meeting Chadwick Boseman on the Jimmy Fallon Show during the 2018 season.
This groundbreaking film has made an impact in many lives. When asked what the film means to her, UTM senior Communications major Sarah Yarbrough of Jackson says, “Black Panther has reinstilled a sense of pride in being black.”
Yarbrough continues, “The portrayal of a black superhero gives kids something to look up to… [by] seeing a strong role played by someone that looks like them.”
The superhero box office hit attempts to showcase a range of African American cultures; traditional African society, African American political debates and the power and beauty of African American women. Whether it does so accurately is sometimes debated by Africans. For more insight into this debate visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/02/16/black-panther-why-the-relationship-between-africans-and-african-americans-is-so-messed-up/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.13eeb82be76d.
Hollywood has typically presented an African American narrative in very small capacities, but Black Panther has now set a long overdue path for filmmakers to explore.
The Oscar-nominated film will be available Feb. 1-7 in more than 30 states. To check availability and get the free tickets, go to WeTicketIt.com/BlackPanther.
