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Ryan Coogler Responds To Alt-Right Attack On ‘Black Panther’

Racists don’t take days off, apparently.

Earlier this week, reports surfaced that an online Facebook group led by Alt-Right supporters created an initiative to drive down Black Panther’s Rotten Tomato scores. Director of the of upcoming superhero film, Ryan Coogler, had a few thoughts of the group’s attempt.

Coogler, who initially had no idea of the group’s threat, was unbothered by the potential threat. “For me, I’m looking forward to everybody seeing the film. I’m really looking forward to sharing the film with audiences regardless of what their political views are… that’s kind of where I [stand on that],” he said in a chat with Huff Post.

When asked about overall ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, Coogler added, “It… can be an oversimplification of what critics are saying about a movie. It’s quicker to look at the consensus than it is to read the articles. But I’m a person who definitely respects film criticism and draws on it in the filmmaking process.”

The group in question, Down With Disney’s Treatment of Franchise and its Fanboys, reportedly took credit for moving The Last Jedi’s Rotten Tomato score to 48% despite a critics’ score above 90.

Despite the anticipation of shade from the Facebook group, which has since been disabled, Black Panther is on track to earn between $120 to $150 million in its opening weekend, which kicks off on February 16, 2017.

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