Octavia Spencer Is Buying Out a Screening of ‘Black Panther’ for Underserved Communities

Critics’ initial reactions to Black Panther hit the Twitterverse this week, and the general consensus is: Wow. The newest Marvel movie won’t be out for another two weeks, but it’s already outpacing every other superhero movie in advanced sales. Octavia Spencer is responsible for a good chunk of that, as she just announced that she’ll be buying out an entire theater to make sure tickets end up in the hands of those who might not otherwise get to see the film.

Taking to Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday, the actress wrote, “I will be in MS when this movie opens. I think I will buy out a theatre in an underserved community there to ensure that all our brown children can see themselves as a superhero.”

She added that she’ll reveal more information once she’s solidified her plans, writing, “I will let you know where and when Mississippi. Stay tuned. #KingsAndQueensWillRise #blackpanthermovie”

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I will be in MS when this movie opens. I think I will buy out a theatre in an underserved community there to ensure that all our brown children can see themselves as a superhero. I will let you know where and when Mississippi. Stay tuned. #KingsAndQueensWillRise #blackpanthermovie

A post shared by Octavia Spencer (@octaviaspencer) on Jan 31, 2018 at 1:03pm PST

Having appeared in 2016’s Hidden Figures and 2017’s The Shape of Water (both of which earned her Academy Award nominations), Spencer is known for playing strong women of color. And now, with her offer to pay for an entire theater’s worth of tickets for an underserved community, it’s clear that she’s doing important work off-screen, too.

#BlackPanther is a love letter about blackness, to a world that often ghettoizes it without realizing that it is on black backs that this planet revolves.

This world’s livelihood is in our blood. pic.twitter.com/FscW1hWbI6

— Tre'vell Anderson (@TrevellAnderson) January 30, 2018

Black Panther — which tells the story of T’Challa, the king of the African nation of Wakanda — is already being praised not only for its kick-ass action, but also for its stellar writing and cast, which includes Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, and Angela Bassett.

I’ve been to Wakanda, and I may never recover. I am so grateful that our young people will see this film and their minds will be transformed. Congratulations #RyanCoogler —you did that! #blackpantherpremiere #blackpanther

— Vanessa K. De Luca (@Vanessa_KDeLuca) January 30, 2018

We can’t wait to see the movie for ourselves when it hits theaters on February 16.

What do you think about Octavia Spencer’s plans to buy out a theater so an underserved community can see Black Panther when it comes out? Let us know @BritandCo!

(photo via Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Critics’ Choice Awards)