Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler thanks fans for the movie's success

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"Gratitude. That is the only word that comes to mind for your support of our work on the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"

Ryan Coogler
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has shared his gratitude with fans who have helped the movie rocket up the box office charts. Since the Marvel sequel first hit the big screen on November 11, it's made over $300 million at the US box office, with a total of over $500 million worldwide. The movie is predicted to make another $50 million in the US over the forthcoming Thanksgiving weekend. 

"Thank you. Thank you to the people who bought their tickets early and camped out opening weekend," Coogler wrote (you can read the full statement on Twitter). "Thank you to those of you [who] took their families out – young ones and elders in tow. To those who organized youth screenings and afterparties, who bought out theaters for communities and friends. To all of you who watched multiple times, and encouraged other folks to check it out."

The sequel to 2018's Black Panther sees the nation of Wakanda grieving King T'Challa, after he passes away from a mysterious illness in the movie's opening scene. Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa in the MCU, died of cancer in 2020. With the US and the rest of the world keen to get their hands on vibranium and the underwater nation of Talokan, led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta), declaring war, it's a tough time for the people of Wakanda. 

Coogler continued: "Our film is over two and a half hours long, so thank you for holding those bathroom breaks. Our film has 6 languages spoken in it. Thank you for bearing with the subtitles. And our film deals with the inescapable human emotion of grief. Thank you for opening yourself up to the emotional journey of this film. We made something to honor our friend, who was a giant in our industry, and we also made something to be enjoyed in a theatrical setting with friends, family, and strangers. Something to be quoted and discussed. To be debated. Something to make people both physically and emotionally feel seen."

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in theaters now. For much more on the latest Marvel movie, check out our spoiler-filled deep dives on:  

Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.