‘Black Panther’
brings
inclusion to
Hollywood
CHRISTINE GENDY
Opinion Staff Writer
cgendy@unca.edu
The release of Black Panther
proves to be a major turning point
in mainstream Hollywood for on
screen racial inclusion.
The film celebrated an open
ing weekend total of $426 million
worldwide. According to Forbes
Magazine, it topped the box office
numbers of several of Marvel’s
more recent films, including Doctor
Strange and Ant-Man.
The largest club on campus. Un
derdog Productions, took 120 stu
dents to see the film premiere in a
rented showroom at the Grail Mov-
iehouse. This event was organized
by the executive director of movies
and films for Underdog Produc
tions, Lila Welsh.
“I am hopeful that this turnout
and the response would mean that
more movies like this would occur.
Representation is important and
hopefully the success of Black Pan
ther shows this to those who make
movies,” Welsh said.
The cast sets this movie apart
from any other superhero movie
you may have seen.
This will be the first Marvel film
to grace the big-screen with a ma
jority black cast. Only two white
actors in the film and they serve
as secondary characters. This is an
important shift because in typical
Hollywood, when a film wants to
be inclusive, they will usually have
a person of color as the sidekick to
the main white protagonist.
You cannot claim inclusion when
the race or sexual orientation you
are trying to include does nothing
instrumental in advancing the plot.
When people flock to the cinema,
they generally hope to see characters
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL STUOIOS