In the wake of being the 10th highest grossing film of all time and receiving several Oscar nominations, the wildly popular Black Panther movie will be returning to theaters the week of February 1-7, 2019. Even better, the movie will be shown on the big screen for free in honor of February being Black History Month. The movie will be shown at 250 different AMCs across the country, with each theater offering two free showings per day. Additionally, Disney, whose studio distributed the film, has donated $1.5 million to the United Negro College Fund, which is an organization that helps minority students fund higher education.

However, the movie seems to also be giving back to its audience, inspiring people of color all around the world. Black Panther has a 90% black cast. Actor Chadwick Boseman said,

“It will reflect a lot of the cultural and social constructs of black America.”

Having a cast made up mostly of minorities gives young people of color heroes that look like them. However, the movie has become an inspiration to everyone. Fans such as Bianca Simons, senior, believe in Black Panther’s impact. Simons said,

“I personally think that this film is a great opportunity for disadvantaged, young people of color to have heroic and strong role models. I didn’t have a lot a characters to look up to growing up, besides characters from the Proud Family. I think this is a great cinematic representation for young black girls, especially with the character Shuri, who is a girl in STEM.”

The movie has also been a success in terms of award nominations it has received. Black Panther is up for seven Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture. It is the first superhero movie to receive a nomination for Best Picture, adding to the list of the movie’s incredible achievements. Senior Kadin Katsch said,

“I believe it should win every Oscar it is eligible for. I‘ve seen [the movie] seven times.”

The 2019 Oscars will take place on February 24, 2019 and many fans will be eagerly watching to hopefully see this powerful movie bring several awards home.

By having strong, black women and men be part of a film that is nominated for many awards, awareness for minority representation has grown. Black History Month is the perfect time to honor and celebrate Black Panther (for free!) at AMC theatres.

Sources: Quartz, Polygon, StudyBreaks