Case study- Black Panther

Case study- Black Panther 

The production company of the Black Panther is Marvel studios which are formerly known as Marvel Films. Marvel Films forms part of the most popular production companies in the US which has gained a lot of audience recognition throughout the past years. Marvel studios are also a subsidiary of Walt Disney studios (a subsidiary is a small company which is controlled by a bigger, dominant company). The second production company which facilitated in the making of Black Panther is Motion pictures. The fact that the productions of the film consist of these companies, can be because of the past history and dedication the company have within the production of the film which involves Marvel characters for example, Spider-Man, Batman, Hulk, and Iron man etc. The production company also decided to produce a film which involves a well-known, renowned Marvel character called ‘Black Panther’. ‘Black Panther’ was added to the Marvel comic’s film slate in July 1997 and was considered to be the first graphic novel. Back in 2005, the CEO of Marvel studios decided that ‘Black Panther’ would be released and form part of the 10 marvel films, and be distributed by Paramount pictures. The film ‘Black Panther’ also faced quite a few controversies as directors, actors, and producers were mainly dedicated to other projects which are alongside the production of ‘Black Panther’ e.g. Creed Fast and Furious 8, Captain America: Civil War. However in 2015, the director named ‘Ran Coogler had made a decision to direct the film and announced the release date in February. 

The casting of the ‘Black Panther’ film is dominantly features a range of African-American characters. The star of ‘Black Panther’ is dressed in finest African-inspired royal attire and spoke about the significance of representing a black superhero in the story. This however also fulfils what the director Coogler mentioned about ‘Black Panther’ being the first Marvel studios production to feature a ‘primarily African-American cast’. The main protagonist ‘Chadwick Boseman’ who is featured in the films called Captain America: Civil war, Gods of Egypt, and 42. He is also seen participating in the role of a warrior king T’challa, who safeguards his kingdom against enemies as ‘Black Panther’. The antagonist which is featured in the film called ‘Micheal Gordon’ is seen to depict a different persona of the film by having the motive to overthrow 'Black Panther' and rule over the kingdom. The star 'Michael Gordon' plays the role of 'Erik Killmonger' who is seen primarily as the main antagonist in the film. For the leading ladies of 'Black Panther', the character called 'Lupita N'yong'o' who plays the role of 'Nakia' who is ideally seen as, being a bodyguard who safeguards the main protagonist of the film 'T'challa'. The other roles played by females called 'Forest Whitaker', 'Angela Basit', and 'Danai Gurira' is seen as the star cast of the film who are widely known by the audience. As a whole, the cast of the 'Black Panther' film largely include over 15 people which can show that the film as a whole required high production costs. 

The rough estimate of 150-200 million dollars was anticipated by the producers of the movie which shows how costly it is to produce the film 'Black Panther'. I believe the initial move which was taken to target a huge mass of audience was the first teaser poster during the NBA finals in 2017. The teaser was done to anticipate the audience that a new film is going to be released in advance. The teaser trailer was however released a little bit later in the same year which might be done purposely because; the audience will be prepared to see it which could be the main buzz around the media. The audience was seem hyped up with the trailer as, in Facebook and Twitter the amount of followers started to rapidly increase and numerous fans commented on their excitement of the film 'Black Panther'. The team of 'Black Panther' decided to also go on a variety of events together which could increase the recognition of the film as a whole e.g. The black carpet fan event in Seoul happened recently and a tour called Black history walks is happening which tours the audience around African history dating back from 3500 years ago. The cast of the 'Black Panther' film massively interacted with the audience to an extent by, constantly posting and commenting on their social media pages which makes the news more accessible and seen by their followers on these sites. For example, the actor 'Chadwick Boseman' recently posted the front cover magazine in which he is seen posing alongside 'Michael Gordon. The actor 'Michael Gordon is also featured in the new GQ cover star and the cover stated 'Rise up, Black Panther star Michael B Jordan fights the power' which creates a positive, authoritative statement in his role in 'Black Panther'. The fact that the star is increasing his reputation in the media; more people are expected to see the film as they already know him and probably admire his personality from the films he was featured in before. YouTube alongside had helped with the advertising of the film as, it has attracted more than a million views and in Facebook and Twitter a fan page was created by using @blackpanther so the audience are encouraged to use the hashtag and encourage others to do so as well. Ideally TV and games can be considered as a huge asset to the company 'Marvel studios' as, the Roblox innovation event is back which is sponsored by Marvel studio for the release of Black Panther. The Roblox games is based around the concept of construction where you buy or win exclusive virtual prize relating back to the Black Panther and TV has been used in terms of advertising people to a greater extent.

I believe the idea of conglomeration could be a fortune for 'Black Panther' as, the conglomeration of Marvel is Walt Disney and Motion pictures. Walt Disney studios currently has ownership over the most popular subsidiaries for example, Pixar Animation studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Marvel studio. To define conglomeration, it is where a bigger company owns a range of smaller companies.The fact that these companies are seen dominantly leading and society, the film has a higher chance of fulfilling what the audience desires as other films which have been made in the past have been majorly successful. Therefore, the producers of the film can aim for perfection and refine the film due to the high budget and team. Being a conglomerate can make the company dominant and seen superior in producing films which are blockbusters and the highest grossing films of the year which makes the company earn more money as, numerous people will be willing to watch a film. This means that, the cast, production team, and advertising will be done to a greater extent where the money utilised will be impactful and attract the mass audience to watch 'Black Panther'. In my opinion, I believe the conglomerate is seen significant in the success of the film as, the film has been advertised and produced in a way where the audience feels the anticipation to see the film. Disney can also be seen as a good source for help as, the company Disney is seen increasingly powerful e.g. there is a Disney store where people can buy merchandise specifically tailored for 'Black Panther' fans, and so much more with the advertising process.

The idea of licensed products have been used as, Marvel studios have released new merchandise which can constantly keep the audience updated about the release of the new film ‘Black Panther’. A range of new, innovative products are available and accessible for different demographic groups. For example, Mini figures for kids have been made e.g. 'Black Panther funko pops', 'Black Panther civil war funko', and 'Black Panther coin bank' etc. Accessories which include t-shirts, water bottles, toys, playsets, mugs, and action figures are available globally on nearly all websites which sell the merchandise products this includes Disney stores, Amazon, and EBay etc. In relation to the older demographic groups, t-shirts, jewellery, and other accessories have been produced to make the merchandise more accessible to older and younger fans as well. The use of social media have defiantly been utilised well as on ‘Black Panther’s Facebook page, some of the star cast have been seen using the products within their posts. This can be seen as a clear and tactful motive which has been used to market their products on a wider scale. The fact that the audience is largely known for social media, the production company heavily relied on social media for their successes.

In terms of brand partnerships, the Marvel team has gone to a greater extent to create products which can be retailed for different audiences. The fact that the production company incorporated the company Lexus in their merchandise, this can attract the masses as, Lexus is known globally and is a popular luxury vehicle car company decided to produce cars which are inspired around the concept of ‘Black Panther’. Lexus and Marvel studios partnership will also be seen in the film as the automaker’s 2018 Lexus LC is being presented in the movie. The idea of synergy has definitely been used to make the film ‘Black Panther’ stronger in terms of  the approach of advertising and attracting more people to watch the film as, the idea is simply unique and might broaden the merchandise of the company.