This will not be a long post, but I want to highlight something. The Marvel Black Panther film did stellar financially before the release of the film in theaters, followed by stellar box office numbers that far exceeded the projections. This isn't me praising the film, but look at the level of Black support the film is receiving. Do the research after reading this post.
Marvel is owned by Disney, and Walt Disney's company isn't owned by Black people, neither are majority shares. You can watch the Black Panther film, I don't dictate your life, but look at the level of support. If you can do that for a non-Black company and feel uplifted by that or by what you see in the film based on an IP that they own, then do yourself, your family, and your community a favor by reflecting on what that enthusiastic financial support could translate to if you do the same and even more so for Black owned businesses.
Pre-order sales breaking records for a non-Black film could impact lives on the grassroots level. There are certain people with the right amount of discipline to use our investments to impact Black communities. This isn't the only route to impact the community, but it could help. I know the pre-orders were for a film for your enjoyment, but non-Black people aren't the only ones allowed to create films using talented Black writers and directors.
The support can result in a strong Black owned movie industry with quality IPs we can take pride in supporting for our actors, producers, editors and more. An industry of coon-free films and shows are possible when we control the dollars going into it. So I'm not creating this post to shame anyone who supported or wants to support the Black Panther film, I just want to shed light on the support itself and what that could mean for us if it were turned inward and not continuously outward.
If you can do for Disney, don't frown in terms of supporting Black businesses that can support you. Make it a priority like some of you did to watch this film. We won't be able to support every single Black business on an individual level, but this is how things could shape up if these were our go to businesses above others. Other businesses can fill the gaps until a replacement is found (or you create the business yourself). Let Disney's Marvel film serve as another example of what we can do collectively.
