Screenrant
In his heartfelt letter, Ryan Coogler wrote on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's tremendous global success: "I thank you for giving me professional purpose, and an emotional outlet."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - a poignant tribute to Chadwick Boseman as well as masterfully carrying forward Wakanda's narrative in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - is not just critically acclaimed, but also a commercially successful movie. Recently, the Ryan Coogler directorial crossed the USD 500 million mark at the global box office! As a token of gratitude, Coogler penned a touching letter thanking fans for the tremendous global success of the sequel...
In a heartfelt letter to fans - shared on Black Panther's official Instagram page - an overwhelmed Ryan Coogler was all about gratitude for those who showed their relentless support to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: "Gratitude. That is the only word that comes to mind for your support of our work on the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I am filled with it."
Thanking those who went the extra mile for Black Panther's sequel, Ryan Coogler added, "Thank you. Thank you to the people who bought their tickets early and camped out opening weekend. Thank you to those of you [who] took their families out- young ones and elders in tow. To those who organized youth screenings and afterparties, who bought out theaters for communities and friends. To all of you who watched multiple times, and encouraged other folks to check it out." Coogler couldn't help himself from quipping, "Our film is over two and a half hours long, so thank you for holding those bathroom breaks. Our film has 6 languages spoken in it. Thank you for bearing with the subtitles."
Given how grief is the pivotal storyline arc in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ryan Coogler further mentioned how the MCU movie was to honour Chadwick Boseman: "And our film deals with the inescapable human emotion of grief. Thank you for opening yourself up to the emotional journey of this film. We made something to honor our friend, who was a giant in our industry, and we also made something to be enjoyed in a theatrical setting with friends, family, and strangers. Something to be quoted and discussed. To be debated. Something to make people both physically and emotionally feel seen."
On how fans' undying support helped Ryan Coogler personally, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker thanked, "This medium wouldn't exist without an audience, and I thank you for giving me professional purpose, and an emotional outlet," before promising there's more to come in the future: "I look forward to bringing you more stories in the future."
"Sincerely, Ryan Coogler," he signed off before concluding, "Liik'k Talokan Wakanda Forever Chadwick Forever Long Live T'Challa."
