It is no surprise that movie theaters were booked and busy with customers after the release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” on Nov. 11. 

The movie was one of the best premiere openings of the year, with $180 million in North America in its opening weekend, according to Disney.

Several movie theaters in the Towson and Baltimore area were sold out this past weekend. People either bought tickets ahead of time or they were lucky enough to find seats. 

Movie theaters welcomed the sequel of the 2018’s Blockbuster hit “Black Panther,” but the movie did not give the same happy and liberating feeling as the first one.

This comes after the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed King T’Challa, Black Panther in the first film.

Fans of the actor and Black Panther mourned when Boseman unexpectedly passed away of colon cancer in 2020. 

As seen in the trailer, the characters were able to mourn and grieve Boseman and T’Challa on screen.

The sequel brought tears, laughter, action, plot twists, and new characters. 

Wakandans came together to fight a new undercover nation. Ryan Coogler, director and screenwriter of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” did a good job with creating Namor, who is the leader of this undercover nation and gave him a wow factor. 

Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, resembled “Aquaman”— a character in DC Comics, only because they both live in water. 

Another new character added into the plot was Riri Williams, Ironheart- a Black woman as a scientist who is played by Dominique Thorne. Like Boseman’s impact on the youth, her character could encourage young Black girls to go into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM.)

The sequel had a theme of grief. A lot of tears and sadness filled theaters, not just from the audience but from the characters as well.

Even though the sequel unfortunately did not have T’Challa to continue the legacy, the Black Panther still lives. 

Boseman made history as the first Black superhero. And without him, the movie isn’t the same anymore.

His lack of presence in the movie was truly missed.

Be sure to check out “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soon to avoid any spoilers!