Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will release Wednesday, February 1 on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar, Marvel Studios has confirmed. The latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — soon to be succeeded by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, premiering February 17 globally — will arrive 82 days after its theatrical release on November 11 in India, the US, and elsewhere. That’s 18 days more than the 64-day window Disney determined for Thor: Love and Thunder, their last cinematic outing. In India, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be available to stream in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam on Disney+ Hotstar.
Marvel also dropped a teaser for the occasion, which reveals that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will also receive the expanded IMAX treatment on Disney+. The IMAX Enhanced feature was unveiled back in November 2021, expanding the aspect ratio to a 1.90:1 format for select scenes — relatively close to the 16:9 ratio of TVs. That’s a 26 percent increase in the picture for epic-scale sequences, akin to what Christopher Nolan did with Interstellar, which would constantly jump between black bars on top and bottom to a “full-screen” effect. The Ryan Coogler-directed film is the latest addition to the group of 16 other MCU movies to receive the treatment. However, it is worth noting that IMAX Enhanced has never been advertised or available on Disney+ Hotstar.
Black Panther 2’s OTT release date was actually revealed earlier this week, when keen eyes took note of its official listing on the Disney+ website. It wasn’t until now that Disney acknowledged the date and advertised it across social media. Directed by Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set in the aftermath of King T’Challa’s demise — a premise introduced as part of a rework process, in the wake of actor Chadwick Boseman’s passing in mid-2020, after a private battle with cancer. This new chapter shows the kingdom of Wakanda struggling with that grief, as Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the ruler of the underwater Talokan realm, takes advantage of the vulnerability and leads his army onto land.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever collected an impressive $822.6 million (about Rs. 6,810 crore) at the global box office, establishing its place among the top 10 highest-grossing films of this year. It was only recently overtaken by James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, and currently sits at the sixth position, with the Tom Cruise-led Top Gun: Maverick leading the pack.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out February 1 on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar wherever available. In India, the Marvel movie will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.
