With an ongoing taste for space, moviegoers propelled the NASA drama "Hidden Figures" past "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" at the box office. (Preliminary figures released yesterday had "Rogue One" in the top slot, edging "Hidden Figures" but with the release of updated info, rankings were switched for the two films.)
"Hidden Figures," which tells the true story of three black female mathematicians integral to the early success of the American space program, sold $22.8 million in tickets over the weekend, enough to knock "Rogue One" from the top spot it held for three weeks.
The "Star Wars" spinoff finished second with $22 million, according to studio tallies released Monday.
"Hidden Figures" opened in limited release over Christmas, but it found its first big chance to reach audiences when it expanded by more than 2,400 locations Friday.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:
1. "Hidden Figures," 20th Century Fox, $22,800,057, 2,471 locations, $9,227 average, $25,754,235, 3 weeks.
2. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," Disney, $22,063,570, 4,157 locations, $5,308 average, $477,364,924, 4 weeks.
3. "Sing," Universal, $20,712,365, 3,955 locations, $5,237 average, $214,512,010, 3 weeks.
4. "Underworld: Blood Wars," Sony, $13,688,751, 3,070 locations, $4,459 average, $13,688,751, 1 week.
5. "La La Land," Lionsgate, $10,132,213, 1,515 locations, $6,688 average, $51,788,800, 5 weeks.
6. "Passengers," Sony, $8,816,213, 3,400 locations, $2,593 average, $80,909,256, 3 weeks.
7. "Why Him?" 20th Century Fox, $6,901,730, 2,904 locations, $2,377 average, $48,961,283, 3 weeks.
8. "Moana," Disney, $6,384,485, 2,549 locations, $2,505 average, $225,365,667, 7 weeks.
9. "Fences," Paramount, $4,813,606, 2,368 locations, $2,033 average, $40,776,870, 4 weeks.
10. "Assassin's Creed," 20th Century Fox, $4,178,643, 2,642 locations, $1,582 average, $49,884,426, 3 weeks.
11. "Manchester By The Sea," Roadside Attractions, $2,517,794, 1,057 locations, $2,382 average, $33,858,151, 8 weeks.
12. "A Monster Calls," Focus Features, $2,080,051, 1,523 locations, $1,366 average, $2,171,543, 3 weeks.
13. "Lion," The Weinstein Company, $2,073,433, 600 locations, $3,456 average, $9,866,152, 7 weeks.
14. "MET Opera: Nabucco (2017)," Fathom Events, $1,940,000, 900 locations, $2,156 average, $1,940,000, 1 week.
15. "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them," Warner Bros., $1,923,459, 1,188 locations, $1,619 average, $229,180,032, 8 weeks.
16. "Collateral Beauty," Warner Bros., $1,291,048, 1,402 locations, $921 average, $29,846,313, 4 weeks.
17. "Jackie," Fox Searchlight, $1,048,643, 353 locations, $2,971 average, $9,245,194, 6 weeks.
18. "Arrival," Paramount, $865,796, 381 locations, $2,272 average, $94,128,318, 9 weeks.
19. "Dangal," UTV Communications, $807,311, 237 locations, $3,406 average, $11,151,900, 3 weeks.
20. "Office Christmas Party," Paramount, $802,911, 953 locations, $843 average, $54,065,262, 5 weeks.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More