Black Panther took the world by storm on its way to a historic opening weekend, and director Ryan Coogler has now shared his heartfelt thoughts on the film's resounding success.

"I am struggling to find the words to express my gratitude at this moment, but I will try," the filmmaker wrote in a letter posted on Twitter by Marvel Studios. "Never in a million years did we imagine that you all would come out this strong. It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film. But to see people of all backgrounds wearing clothing that celebrates their heritage, taking pictures next to our posters with their friends and family, and sometimes dancing in the lobbies of theaters often moved me and my wife to tears."

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Buoyed by early praise from critics and fans alike Black Panther scored the second-highest opening weekend ever for a superhero film, behind only The Avengers. T'Challa's first feature dominated more than the superhero genre, however, as the film outperformed even Star Wars: The Last Jedi domestically in its debut.

Coogler concluded his letter by thanking Black Panther everyone who contributed to the movie's thunderous debut:"For the people who bought out theaters, who posted on social [media] about how lit the film would be, bragged about our awesome cast, picked out outfits to wear, and who stood in line in theaters all over the world before even seeing the film... To the press who wrote about the film for folks who hadn't yet seen it, and encourage audiences to come out ... And to the young ones, who came out with their parents, with their mentors, and with their friends ... Thank you for giving our team of filmmakers the greatest gift: The opportunity to share this film, that we poured our hearts and souls into, with you."

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In theaters now, Marvel Studios' Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Winston Duke as M’Baku and Forest Whitaker as Zuri.