black panther

• What is the significance of Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

  It is the 17th film in the franchise
• Who plays the character T’Challa in Black Panther?

  Chadwick Boseman
• Which company produced Black Panther?

  Marvel Studios
• What major company is Marvel Studios a subsidiary of?

  The Walt Disney Company
• How successful was Black Panther at the box office?

  It grossed over $1 billion worldwide
• What percentage of Black Panther's gross came from non-US countries?

  48%
• What historical period did European powers colonize African countries?

  15th-20th century
• How were Africans portrayed by European invaders during colonization?

  As 'savages' with 'primitive' cultures
• What campaign arose from police violence against people of color?

  #blacklivesmatter
• Who distributed Black Panther?

  Disney
• What marketing strategy did Disney adopt for Black Panther?

  A '360-degree consumer experience'
• How did Disney aim to elevate Black Panther's profile?

  By making it a 'cultural event'
• What was one of the brand association deals used for Black Panther?

  Hasbro toys
• What political element was harnessed during Black Panther's release?

  Crowd-funding for underprivileged children
• When was Black Panther released in relation to Black History Month?

  During Black History Month
• What was the significance of the 'Welcome to Wakanda' catwalk show?

  It celebrated African culture
• What percentage of ticket buyers were female on opening weekend?

  44%
• What role does the BBFC play in the UK film industry?

  Classifies film and video releases
• What certificate did Black Panther receive from the BBFC?

  12a certificate
• What was the viewership of Black Panther's teaser trailer within 24 hours?

  89 million views
• production costs of black panther

  $200 million and another $150 million on marketing
• integration

  Disney horizontally integrated with marvel to decrease competition, and also vertically integrated to use Disney as a distributor
• Hesmondhalgh formatting

  star power, genre and serialisation

  • star power in trailer opening with voice of martin freeman, known for the hobbit and shows his face, makes film seem trustworthy and encourages his fans to watch
  • superhero action films have been rapidly gaining popularity
  • marvel branding in trailer increases brand awareness and encourages fans to watch
• Production

  Costed $200 mil, additional $150 mil on the 360 degree marketing campaign

  Made $1.35 bil
• integration

  Disney horizontally integrated with marvel to reduce competition and marvel used vertical integration through use of Disney’s distribution channels
• Formatting within the trailer

  • star power : martin freeman (the hobbit franchise) is the first voice heard and first face seen, mark of quality since Chadwick Bozeman was relatively unknown at this time
  • Serialisation: marvel branding through trailer and promotional materials is clear, a mark of brand awareness, encourages diehard fans of Marvel to watch it
  • Genre: superhero action films growing in popularity and the trailer plays on this making it very clear that it is a film of this genre by including many clear cut conventions such as fight scenes and explosions
• risk in the trailer

  • presents Africa as technologically advanced, with a primarily black cast, centred around black culture and experiences with clear themes of colonisation - goes against what many audiences would believe or empathise with
  • Use of the revolution will not be televised by Gil Scott Heron
  • In the film lines like “don’t scare me like that coloniser” move away from more conservative writing in previous marvel releases aimed at a social majority audience
• the revolution will not be televised

  • Gil Scott Heron
  • lines including “no photos of pigs shooting down brothers”
  • reference to police brutality of the 1960s which lead to the formation of the black panther group
  • the first scheme of the film introduced as LA,1992 as a clear reference to further police brutality in the form of the LA riots
• multimedia conglomerates

  • operates across a number of cultural industries, merchandise and toy released (hasbro), a soundtrack by Kendrick Lamar and SZA as well as a welcome to wakanda catwalk in new York fashion week
• marketing

  • over $150 mil
  • 360 degree marketing campaign
  • a cultural event throughout many industries to make a more politically resonant piece of media
  • brand associations through hasbro toys, Lexus cars and universal music
  • trailers shown at NBA games and the Super Bowl
  • promotions in new York fashion week and fashion magazines promote a genre associated with male audiences to cultural industries more frequently appealing to women
  • crowd funding projects to buy under priveledged children tickets appealed to celebrities
  • made a cultural event by being released in black history month
• hesmondhalgh

  minimise risk and maximise audiences

  • risk minimised through integration and formatting ( star power, genre, serialisation)
  • audiences maximised with the 360 marketing campaign, toys, fashion, cars, music, ect to appeal to as many demographics as possible
  • conglomerates: Disney and marvel operate across a number of cultural industries
• curran and seaton

  • media is controlled by a small number of companies ( the big 6 ) motivated by profit and power
  • limited by media concentration: popular genre, predictable story, clear proppian character archetypes
  • quality not limited: high production budget, used on CGI and other impressive visual effects
  • subverts the idea that lack of socially diverse patterns of ownership are reflected in media: cultural themes and plot which strays from disney’s typically “safe” releases
  • whilst this should in theory minimise profit and therefore audiences, it instead motivated a large number of black people to weren’t usually fans of the genre to watch the film on opening weekend culmination in marvels 6th highest grossing film
• conventions of a mainstream release

  • clearly defined characters, often stereotypes or proppean archetypes
  • simple narrative with universal themes
  • high production values
  • elements that are easy to market
  • high profile stars
  • visual spectacle
  • highly dramatic plot elements often hyperbolic