Michelle Obama saw “Black Panther,” and she agrees — Wakanda forever
Just days after its theatrical release, Black Panther has already smashed box office records and gained universal critical acclaim. Black Panther has received an outpour of praise and support from fans all over the world, including the one and only Michelle Obama.
The former first lady loved the Ryan Coogler-directed film so much that she shared her sincere appreciation for the Marvel flick on Twitter. And mind you, the former FLOTUS isn’t exactly one to hang around social media. She’s tweeted only a total of 13 times in 2018 (not including retweets), and her tweets are usually about politics and advocacy, and of course, professing her love for husband, Barack Obama.
"Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team!" she wrote. "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."
Her Black Panther tweet was in tune with other messages posted on her account, which are mostly about empowering young people and promoting diversity:
In a 2016 interview with Variety, Michelle Obama also explained why diversity in entertainment is so important.
"For so many people, TV and movies may be the only way they understand people who aren’t like them," she said. "It becomes important for the world to see different images of each other, so that we can develop empathy and understanding."
Black Panther — which stars a predominantly black cast, including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danai Gurira — made the largest solo debut in Marvel Studios history, among breaking other records. The film exceeded initial predictions and earned a massive $241.9 million over Presidents’ Day weekend.
If that’s not an indication of how good Black Panther is, then we don’t know what is. Now, if you haven’t already, go and follow Michelle’s lead and buy yourself a ticket!
