Black Panther not only smashed the box office, but it also destroyed the market when it came to merchandising. But that's not the only thing the Marvel blockbuster helped sell: it turns out that pet adoptions spiked at PetSmart immediately following the release of the movie.
While there was anecdotal evidence of Black Panther fans heading out to adopt black kittens, for the first time we have actual, hard data that shows a spike in adoptions at PetSmart immediately following the movie.
As you see in the graph above, a clear spike in adoptions occured from February 20 to February 21. Black Panther was released in theaters the preceding Friday. Coincidence? Maybe, but given the number of adoptions that PetsMart records on a daily basis, we like to believe this anomaly is related.
There could be even more good news for kittens looking for their forever homes: Now that Black Panther is out on Blu-Ray DVD, it shot straight to the #1 spot at Amazon:
Could the wider release into home inspire even more adoptions? We'll keep our eyes, ears, and tails on the lookout.
In the meantime, you can find a cat (or dog) to adopt from PetSmart right here.
Note: If you, or someone you know, decided to adopt a cat because of Black Panther (or any pet after any movie, for that matter), please know that keeping a pet is a responsibility. That pet is not a toy. It's not movie merchandise. Love your pets, people.