Marvel’s Black Panther boasts the fifth highest opening weekend gross of all time, bringing in $192 million in a little over three days… just in the United States.

However, according to CNN, the numbers may be higher:

Disney estimates that the film will bring in $235 million domestically for the four-day holiday weekend. The film brought in an opening of more than $360 million around the world before revised estimates. Final global totals will be announced on Tuesday, according to the studio.

Not only that, but the film also holds a perfect score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is no small feat, considering that the cult classic, The Godfather scores only 1% above it.

So what is the driving force behind this massive success? Some will attribute the film’s success to its diverse cast. But, that can’t be the whole story, since the film has surpassed the success of other African-American films many times over.

The secret is in the content.

As content creators, social media marketers, B2B professionals, bloggers, and businesses, we’re frequently told that our content is important. But oftentimes, we sacrifice our content for the sake of better design or time efficiency. Director Ryan Coogler did no such thing when creating Black Panther. Instead, he tailored his content to engage a broad audience.

How did Coogler do this? He followed four fail-proof methods that are consistent throughout all platforms and media with high grossing engagement:

  • He tactfully addresses relevant hot-button political and economic problems.

During the film, the story deals with various issues regarding national borders and aiding international entities. Ryan Coogler even admits: “T’Challa is a political person; he’s a politician. That’s what he is. If you have to fill out a resume, and you have to ask ‘What is he?’, he’s not going to write ‘superhero’ on there. He’s going to write ‘politician.’”

  • He challenges the status quo.

Not only does Black Panther branch out ethnically, creating a diverse African-American & African cast, but it also incorporates several powerful female characters. Unlike other Marvel characters, these girls possess active roles in the story as opposed to acting as attractive props that are pulled out when the action downshifts. Furthermore, all of them are confident in their femininity and do not feel the need to sacrifice it to ‘keep up with the men’ or play to cultural beauty norms.

  • He brings a new perspective.

This is one of the first movies in history which highlights African culture without adding the typical third-world country spin on it. Moreover, Marvel really stepped out of its urban-setting comfort zone to give the audience a taste of something new, yet relevant.

  • He synthesizes multiple topics instead of being linear.

Most films chose one or two topics to explore, narrowing their audience. However, in Black Panther we see a variety of topics addressed such as feminism, cultural pride, international relations, national borders, and compassion.

However, there are many more reasons why Black Panther is doing so well. Take a look at the video below by Mashable Daily, which discusses five reasons they think the movie was such a hit, and let us know your thoughts. Is there anything else that you think made this movie so successful?