'Black Panther' Costume Coming To African-American Museum In DC

WASHINGTON, DC -- The 2018 smash hit Black Panther is already one of the most popular movies of all time, having made $1.35 billion worldwide as of this week, and it has been incredibly important to the African-American community. And soon, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C. will be displaying the original costume from the film.

The museum announced this week that it had acquired items from the film, including the famous suit worn by actor Chadwick Boseman (who graduated from Howard University here in D.C.).

The museum plans to display the items during the inaugural Smithsonian African American Film Festival (SAAFF), which will run Oct. 24-27.

"Plans for permanent display of the objects are under consideration by the National Museum of African American History and Culture," the museum said in a statement. "Black Panther is the first superhero of African descent to appear in mainstream American comics, and the film itself is the first major cinematic production based on the character. Black Panther illustrates the progression of blacks in film, an industry that in the past has overlooked blacks, or regulated them to flat, one-dimensional and marginalized figures. The film, like the museum, provides a fuller story of black culture and identity."

The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened back on Sept. 24, 2016, in a star-studded opening ceremony. Since then, it has proved to be one of the most popular museums in D.C. -- so popular that it has had to issue timed passes that are snapped up as soon as they are made available. Only recently has the museum experimented with allowing people to walk up without tickets.

Black Panther was released in February. The film is set in the Marvel Comics universe and focuses on T'Challa, the crowned king of the fictional African country of Wakanda, who must battle a new adversary in order to retain his claim on the throne.

The film premiered in Los Angeles on Jan. 29 before being released theatrically in the United States on Feb. 16. It was widely praised by critics, and it became the third highest grossing film ever in the U.S.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios