The Woman King, a movie starring Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis, owned the box office and earned $19 million during its opening weekend.
ESSENCE noted the movie exceeded initial expectations in the range of $15-$18million. It debuted on Friday with $6.85 million, including $1.7 million Thursday coming from previews. Audience reactions gave it a 95 per cent positive rating on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak.
Women made up a large percentage of the weekend sales, with women buyers accounting for 61 per cent of those who bought tickets.
According to PostTrak, 59 per cent of those who went for the movie were Black, 19 per cent were Caucasian, 12 per cent were Hispanic, and 10 per cent were Asian.
“Much like ‘Black Panther,’ ‘The Woman King’ demonstrates that positive, culturally based stories can resonate strongly among all audiences,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “And with great reviews and awards buzz also in the mix, this ‘King’ could have a nice long reign in theaters.”
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King tells the story of an all-female warrior unit known as the Agojie, who guarded the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 17th to 19th centuries.
The movie had Ms Davis as its central character, alongside stars like Thuso Mbedu, John Boyega, Lashana Lynch and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
Ms Davis was cast as a general, saddled with the duty to train the next generation of fighters in the Kingdom of Dahomey in Africa during the 1820s.
The movie has seen great reviews and success from international audiences, most notably when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month.
Speaking at the movie’s debut in Toronto, Ms Davis said the film was for “risk takers” and “for the Black women who are out there on the periphery, a conduit, a vehicle to shine a beautiful and glorious light”, adding that she was proud to be a part of the movie.
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