Halle Berry Jokes Her ‘Catwoman’ Led To ‘Black Panther’s Success

Catwoman star Halle Berry playfully says her oft-maligned DC Comics adaptation helped pave the way for another cat-themed superhero movie to claw up the box office: Marvel Studios’ Black Panther.

“Each story builds on the next,” Berry said during an appearance at the GLAAD Media Awards (via Decider).

“It’s like that old saying goes: behind every Black Panther is a great black Catwoman!”

“You know, I’ve gotten a really bad rap for this role, and I think Catwoman deserves another g—damn chance, don’t you?” Berry asked the audience, who cheered and applauded.

“I knew this room would understand,” a smiley Berry said.

Catwoman was mauled by critics and failed to make a scratch at the box office: the 2004 tale of artist Patience Philips (Berry) turned scantily-clad, tight leather-wearing rooftop prowler brought in just $82 million worldwide on a reported $100 million dollar budget.

Widely considered one of the worst comic book movies ever made, Catwoman uttered a weak meow compared to Black Panther’s tremendous roar: the groundbreaking Marvel Studios blockbuster has raked in over $1.3 billion worldwide since its mid-February release.

Berry, who had another superhero hit franchise on her hands in Fox’s X-Men series where she played weather-altering mutant Storm, has always taken Catwoman’s sinking in stride: she happily accepted a “Worst Actress” Razzie in 2005 for her work in the film.

“First of all I want to thank Warner Bros,” Berry said at the 2005 ceremony. “Thank you for putting me in a piece of s—t, god-awful movie!”

“I never in my life thought I would be up here winning a Razzie,” Berry told the audience with faux excitement.

“I mean, it’s not like I ever aspired to be here. But thank you!”

Berry, who brought her Academy Award along, then said: “No, I don’t have to give this back — it’s got my name on it!”

Black Panther recently crossed the $1.3 billion mark worldwide, entering the top ten highest grossing films of all time.

Stars Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke and Letitia Wright return in Avengers: Infinity War, in theaters April 27.