Sean O'Connell, managing editor at CinemaBlend, discusses the release of Marvel's new "Black Panther" film and what it means for people of color in Hollywood.
O'Connell says what's great about the film is that the story was carefully crafted and developed. It does not feel as if it's pandering to a black audience. He says the storyline is a natural fit for the Marvel Universe.
The movie is estimated to rake in up to $170 million in its opening weekend. O'Connell notes how huge this would be for a movie that's not a sequel. Typically, it's not until the second or third film that movies generate such high numbers.
We also talk Ava Duvernay's "A Wrinkle in Time" and the significance or her being the first black woman to direct a film with a $100 million dollar budget. O'Connell is confident that star directors like Ava Duvernay and Ryan Coogler are here to stay, and that we're seeing a turning of the tide in Hollywood.
Hollywood closed out an up and down 2023 with “Wonka” regaining No. 1 at the box office, strong sales for “The Color Purple” and an overall $9 billion in ticket sales that improved on 2022’s grosses but fell about $2 billion shy of pre-pandemic norms.
2024 is the Year of the Dragon for the Lunar New Year, which kicks off February 10. To commemorate the occasion, the U.S. Post Office unveiled a new dragon stamp.
