Black Panther

Offset gets the award for best "plus one" ... after pulling a last minute surprise at a "Black Panther" screening for at-risk kids, and not even the event organizer knew he was doing it.

Jas Waters, a writer on "This Is Us," told us how she came up with the idea to screen the film at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood over the weekend. It all started with her offering 2 free movie tickets on Twitter ... and ended with Offset marching into the screening with Lil Yachty.

As we previously reported, several celebs have been participating in the 'Black Panther Challenge', where they help disadvantaged and minority children see the film for free.

Someone get Diddy a script for the "Black Panther" sequel -- because he's ALL IN after the film's record breaking weekend!

Diddy was leaving Nightingale Sunday night in WeHo when we asked if he thought the movie's tremendous success would convince Hollywood to greenlight more black films. His reaction was the most enthusiastic -- and maybe a little booze-fueled -- we've seen yet.

'BP' made $192 million so far, and is projected to top $235 mil once the holiday weekend is over -- the biggest February opening ever.

You can tell ... he knows the numbers, and "hell yeah" ... he's amped about 'em!!

Nigerian NBA player Festus Ezeli says it's about damn time the REAL Africa was depicted on a movie screen, and tells TMZ Sports he's excited that Marvel's "Black Panther" will do just that.

We got Festus at LAX and asked him just how jammed up he was about a superhero movie set completely on his home continent, and that's when he told us how important the film is to him.

"It's great to have a movie that depicts the REAL Africa."

Ezeli goes on to tell us he's sick of the perception that Africa is a poor, backwards continent, and he thinks BP, and it's portrayal of the resource-rich, fictional nation of Wakanda, can change that perception.

"Africa is a very rich continent, and people don't know that. I think it's great we having a movie like that coming out."