Atlanta's 'Black Panther' Screening Draws Stars, Crowds

ATLANTA, GA — It was a packed house at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Wednesday night as movie and music stars joined fans eager for an early look at "Black Panther," the Atlanta-filmed Marvel superhero film that opens next weekend.

The crowd roared as actor and Atlanta native Samuel L. Jackson took the stage to introduce the movie.

"This film is the ultimate black superhero movie ...," Jackson said to cheers. "It's taken a very long time for that to happen. It's got an extremely, extremely good cast and it's being done for the enjoyment of one and all in this big, wonderful country — but especially for us."

Also on hand were celebrities including Atlanta rappers Ludacris and Big Boi and actors Kim Fields, Tyrese Gibson and John Amos.

Set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, "Black Panther" is the story of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) who returns to the isolated but technologically advanced country to take the throne after the death of his father, the king.

Other stars include Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Denzel Washington, Forrest Whitaker and Andy Serkis. The movie was filmed largely at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayetteville, with scenes also shot in downtown's Sweet Auburn district.

More than a week away from its release, "Black Panther" already is on pace to break box-office records. It has already sold more advance tickets than any superhero movie ever on pre-sales site Fandango and is projected to earn more than $400 million in the United States, according to industry analysts.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, the movie has a 99 percent "fresh" rating on review site Rotten Tomatoes, with 77 of the 78 critics who have gotten an early look giving it positive reviews as of Thursday morning.

Featuring a black hero and predominantly black ensemble cast, it also has garnered extra attention while spurring conversations about the importance of minority representation in television and film. On crowdfunding site GoFundMe, New York resident Frederick Joseph raised more than $40,000 to take underpriveleged children from the Harlem Boys & Girls Club to see "Black Panther."

He followed up on social media by issuing the #BlackPantherChallenge, urging people in other cities to similarly take children to see the film. So far, more than 250 campaigns have raised over $300,000 to do just that, according to GoFundMe.

"All children deserve to believe they can save the world, go on exciting adventures, or accomplish the impossible," Joseph said in a post on the site. "I am grateful that all of you have answered the call and are taking action to help more kids watch their heroes on the big screen.

"If you’re a teacher, buy tickets for your entire classroom. If you’re a coach, take your team. If you're a community leader, do some organizing and get the kids and parents in your community to the theater."

To see #BlackPantherChallenge fundraisers near you, click here.

"Black Panther" is the latest movie blockbuster to film in Georgia.

According to industry analysts Film L.A., Georgia was the production center for more feature films released in 2016 (17) than any other market in the United States. The state single-handledly produced more 2016 features than the United Kingdom (16) and Canada (13).

Georgia Is Movie, TV Star While Hollywood Is Out

The affect on Georgia has been fairly immense. State officials say that, during the 2017 fiscal year, television and film had a $9.5 billion economic impact in the state. During that time, 320 feature films and television productions worked in Georgia, representing $2.7 billion in direct spending in the state, according to the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office.

Photo by Matt Kennedy courtesy Marvel Studios 2018