"Black Panther" returns to movie theaters for free Black History Month screenings
"Black Panther" is returning to movie theaters for free in celebration of Black History Month, Disney announced Monday. The Marvel film, which earned seven Oscar nominations including best picture, became a cultural phenomenon with its predominantly black cast and inspirational characters.
"Black Panther is groundbreaking for many reasons, including the rich diversity of voices behind its success," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. "The story also showcases the power of knowledge to change the world for the better, and the importance of ensuring everyone has access to it."
From February 1-7, Disney said the film will be shown at 250 participating AMC locations. There will be two free showings per day at each theater. You can find tickets here.
"We're proud to provide thousands of free screenings of Black Panther in hopes it will continue to inspire audiences," Disney said, adding that it's giving a $1.5 million grant to support the United Negro College Fund "to make the dream of higher education a reality for more students."
The announcement came a day after "Black Panther" won a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.
In addition to being an Oscar contender for best picture, the movie directed by Ryan Coogler also received nominations for last week for best costume design, original score, original song, production design, sound edition and sound mixing.
The 91st Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, February 24.
The film made its mark for being the first mega-budget movie to feature not just a black lead character but also a black director, black writers and mostly black cast. Fans in Africa also lauded "Black Panther" for its positive portrayal of the continent.
Black Panther is one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time, accumulating $1.3 billion worldwide. Plans for a sequel are already underway.