As Marvel’s Black Panther continues to break box office predictions and records, the cast (rightfully so) is on cloud nine. According to reports, the Ryan Coogler directed film earned an estimated $201.8 million during its North America debut over the weekend, marking it the fifth biggest opening of all time, the largest opening for an African-American director and the largest opening in February.
Out of an admiration for her castmate Chadwick Boseman and to celebrate Black Panther’s crazy success, Lupita Nyong’o recreated Boseman’s Rolling Stone cover via her Instagram account.
“I admire your quiet, confident, regal nature. You brought the wealth of all your knowledge, wisdom and physicality to T’Challa,” the Academy-Award winner captioned. “You lead us into the land of Wakanda without ego, without pretense, without fear. We reap the benefits now squarely because of your courage, your fierce dedication, your intense passion and you’re grueling workout regimen. We celebrate BREAKING BOX OFFICE RECORDS with [Black Panther] for many reasons, but chief among them is because we had you as our king.”
Nyong’o wasn’t the only one to congratulate the cast. Former first lady Michelle Obama celebrated the whole team.
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
In the cover story, Rolling Stone’s Josh Eells talks with Boseman and director Ryan Coogler about Hollywood’s whitewashing habit, and how Black Panther unfolded before their eyes.
“We were making a film about what it means to be African,” Coogler says. “It was a spirit that we all brought to it, regardless of heritage. The code name for the project was Motherland, and that’s what it was. We all went to school on Africa.”
Read the entire cover story here.