Man Tries to Trademark Wakanda Wine Festival After Black Panther Success

Following on the heels of Black Panther's massive box office success and the cultural phenomenon [...]

By Russ Burlingame

Following on the heels of Black Panther's massive box office success and the cultural phenomenon the movie has become, a Texas man wants to trademark the "Wakanda Wine Fest."

...Well, you've got to admire his ingenuity.

According to The Blast, Davon Hatcheet of Texas filed for the trademark, which he says would be used for "charitable donation services, namely, providing educational special events, seminars, workshops in the field of wine."

That educational/academic language is basically why Comic Con International is a non-profit organization in spite of all the millions of dollars in revenue that flow through San Diego every summer.

It is unclear whether such a trademark would be issued. Marvel could certainly contest it, since they have a long-standing connection to the word and the use of "Wakanda" in such an event would be likely to create brand confusion.

Marvel and Disney reportedly filed a number of marks in November of last year, although none of them were specifically for a wine festival.

When Black Panther premieres in theaters in the People's Republic of China, analysts predict it will make between $50 million and $60 million on its opening weekend, according to a new report.

Based on current estimates, the film is likely to pass the $1 billion mark before the weekend is through; it currently sits at $512.6 million domestically and $408.7 million overseas for a combined total of $921.3 million worldwide.

Black Panther is now in theaters. It will be followed by Avengers: Infinity War on April 27th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol . 3 in 2020.

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