A huge crowd packed the Fox Theatre Wednesday night for a premiere of Atlanta-filmed "Black Panther." The Marvel blockbuster, which filmed here both on location and at the EUE/Screen Gems facility, is due out Feb. 16.

Samuel L. Jackson made a surprise appearance on stage to introduce the film. Watch his remarks here.

Ahead of time, celebs including Ludacris, Big Boi, John Amos, Kim Fields and Tyrese Gibson hit the red carpet.

"It's Black History Month and it's Atlanta. Everything about this city represents diversity, inclusion and opportunity," said Gibson, who lives in Atlanta part time and filmed roles for some of the "Fast and Furious" franchise movies here. "I've been an actor for many years. There's something really powerful and life-changing about what's happening in Hollywood right now."

Big Boi, a fan of Marvel comics, was excited to take in the special effects and to see if the movie lived up to its enormous hype.

"Pre-sales have been through the roof," he said.

Check out the red carpet action:

MORE: Win free tickets to see "Black Panther" early

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