5 Things Nollywood Can Learn from the Success of the Black Panther Franchise 

The success of the Black Panther franchise has created a spark in the entertainment industry globally. The movie’s resounding success grossing over $1.3 billion in box office sales has been attributed to several factors that Nollywood, the Nigerian film Industry can emulate.

This includes strong storytelling, its quality of production, as well as emphasis on diversity and cultural representation which showcases African cultures and identities on the global stage.

In this article, we would look at how Nollywood can incorporate these lessons to elevate its productions to new heights of success and recognition.

Strong Storytelling

The Black Panther franchise explored African culture and heritage in a new and exciting way that captured the hearts of viewers globally. The characters were well-developed with distinct storylines that allowed viewers to resonate with them deeply, thus, making the story impactful.

Nollywood can make stories that are authentic and reflect African Culture and heritage and also invest in character development which will display each storylines and create relatable and compelling characters that can capture audience attention.

The movie is an embodiment of important issues that addresses culture, race, and identity in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. This can be incorporated into Nollywood storytelling as a tool for exploring issues that affect African societies and for social change.

Quality Production

Nollywood can invest in quality talent that can bring their stories to life on the screen. The Black Panther franchise had a set of talented cast and crew, including award-winning actors and directors that projected the storyline with perfection. Also, the language, costume design and different cultural references were reflected even to its barest minimum, which Nollywood can give attention to, to increase the authenticity of their stories.

The Black Panther franchise used advanced and well-informed technology to create a unique visual experience. Nollywood can incorporate technology in their production and postproduction processes to elevate the storytelling and create a solid experience for viewers.

Cultural Representation

The Nigerian film industry can embrace and showcase the diverse cultures in their productions within Nigeria and Africa. The Black Panther franchise displays the rich cultural diversity of Africa and its diaspora. They also went as far as ensuring that the cultural representation in the film was authentic and respectful which nollywood can learn from by creating authenticity in their depictions of culture and avoiding stereotypes.

Some cultural experts were introduced in the production process to ensure accuracy in the representation. While showcasing pride and the importance of celebrating cultural traditions, they also engaged with their audience to ensure the film connects with its target audience.

With this, nollywood can engage with Nigerian audiences to understand their cultural perspectives and showcase Nigeria’s culture in a positive and respectful light and as well learn to be proud of their culture and heritage.

Diverse Cast

Nollywood can learn embracing diversity in casting from the Black Panther franchise diverse cast feature that represented several African Countries and also the African Diaspora. The cast features a range of actors from different ethnicities, identities and backgrounds that promotes oneness and unity.

There were several unknown actors the film featured which nollywood can learn from to give opportunities to new talents and provide a platform for up-and-coming actors to showcase their skills. The collaboration between African and international talent without stereotypes also helps the film production leverage on skills and expertise of actors from different countries to enhance the quality of productions.

The Nigerian film industry can inculcate and leverage on  international talent and also adopt well-developed characters who are not defined by their ethnicity, gender, or other identities.

International Appeal

Black Panther’s success was not limited to just the United States, it got an international appeal.The film became a cultural phenomenon as a result of its unique cultural representation, storyline, and diverse casts. These are the elements nollywood can implement to increase their international appeal.

For example, the vitality of the film’s cultural representation which displays the richness in the continent’s diversity is emulation nollywood can hold on to promote their culture to the world to gather awareness. The diverse cast which was predominantly black equated Hollywood’s predominant white movie which gave it a broader audience. Nollywood can also employ diverse casts from different backgrounds to get a wider audience.