Octavia Spencer To Buy Entire Mississippi Movie Theater For ‘Black Panther’ Viewing
Octavia Spencer is willing to buy out entire movie theaters in Mississippi for underserved black communities. Spencer took to Instagram to make this announcement to highlight the importance of the “crucial, simple yet often overlooked” social problem of representation.
According to Huffington Post, Spencer has always been a big supporter of black films. Last year, she made the same offer when the screening of the Oscar-nominated film, Hidden Figures, hit Los Angeles. Spencer said this is a personal service to her community. When she was a child, the actress said they were not able to go to the movies because it was expensive. Now, she would like to invite families to come together to see films that represent their color.
Black Panther is the first Marvel movie in the 21st century to feature a black superhero. Starring Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa or Black Panther, the film is set to premiere on February 16, 2018.
Black Panther already has a short cameo in another Marvel movie, but this is the first time for a solo film. Even with just the trailer, the film has already been praised for the costume design and the massive number of black actors in the film. Just like the Wonder Woman movie presented a positive image for women, the upcoming Marvel blockbuster is a superhero movie, and the film offers a strong representative for people of color and minorities.
Octavia Spencer is one of the front-runners of the embodiment of multicultural representation in Hollywood. According to Forbes, Spencer is also set on becoming an influential mover in Hollywood.
“The role I’m destined to play is to be one of the greatest producers in Hollywood.”
Being an actor in Hidden Figures also helped her realize that representation is still one of the biggest issues in society today. Because of that, Spencer vowed to create a multicultural environment where she produces “a broader spectrum in the world of all shapes and sizes and religions.”
Spencer will announce which movie theaters she will be renting for the Black Panther premier.
