The Story of Chadwick Boseman: The Black Panther

Long Live The King!

Before Chadwick Boseman gained worldwide notoriety and recognition for playing T'Challa, the King of the fictional African nation Wakanda, he was known around Hollywood for being the go-to man for a biopic. Boseman was best known for his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get on Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.

Today, the Howard University graduate is a growing household name, by successfully breaking into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be the first black actor to play a lead role in a superhero movie, while being a source of inspiration for African American children and children worldwide.

Black Panther surprised Marvel Studios and everyone around the world when it became an international phenomenon. Just hours after the hotly anticipated premiere of "Black Panther," Vanity Fair reported that critics were unified in praise for what's being called Marvel's "first black superhero film."

According to Forbes, producers spent $200 million to make the movie and another $150 million to publicize it. Their gamble paid off. "Black Panther" lived up to the hype and then some by grossing $400 million domestically in the first 10 days ― the second-fastest behind only "Jurassic World." By the end of February 2018 "Black Panther" had blown past $700 million worldwide to become history's highest-grossing film with a black cast and continued on to make $700,059,566 (domestic) and $646,853,595 (international), totaling $1,346,913,161 (worldwide).