DETROIT – Well-known Detroit rapper Big Sean is teaming up with movie theater chain Emagine Entertainment to sell exclusive merchandise and donate proceeds to charity as the second “Black Panther” movie hits the big screen.
Starting Nov. 10, Emagine theaters throughout Michigan -- and a few locations out of state -- will be selling the Big Sean Cinema Mix: A snack mix that includes a large Detroit-style popcorn, a large drink, a bag of fruit snacks and an exclusive Big Sean t-shirt. The snack box and t-shirt combo will be sold for $40, and the t-shirt can be purchased separately for $25.
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Proceeds from the snack box and t-shirt sales will support programs and projects carried out by Sean’s organization, the Sean Anderson Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan. Sean’s foundation has partnered with the Boys and Girls Club to provide the Sean Anderson studios, where children can record and learn how to record, learn audio engineering and even learn to work at TV stations.
The foundation also carries out other work throughout the community, designed to “assist in the education, health, safety, and well-being of school-age youth and their families.”
The launch of the Big Sean Cinema Mix coincides with the release of the new film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which is the second film of the “Black Panther” series. The late Chadwick Boseman, who was a friend of Sean’s, starred as T’Challa in the first Black Panther film, and quickly became an icon for it. The second film, which will lack Boseman’s character due to his sudden death in 2020, comes to theaters on Nov. 11.
“I was friends with Chadwick before he booked ‘Black Panther’ -- I was actually knowing him when he was struggling somewhat and very frustrated with his career. When he booked Black Panther, I saw the full scope of the journey,” Sean told Local 4′s Evrod Cassimy. " ... To me, ‘Black Panther’ represents not only the love I have for him personally, but also just represents Black superheroes on the screen.
“To anyone who’s ever worn a badge of their city or their hometown, or even another city that they’re living in or working in, and cares about other people -- does it for not just themselves, but for other people -- they’re hometown heroes to me,” Sean continued. “This is the perfect representation of that.”
Sean tells Local 4 that he’s currently working with Emagine to open a new theater in the inner city of Detroit. Plans to develop the theater had been changed and pushed back due to the pandemic, but Sean says work is underway and expects the theater to potentially open in 2024.