Hidden Figures beats Rogue One
USA - Fox’s “Hidden Figures” has topped DisneyLucasfilm’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” by about $700,000 for the No. 1 spot at the North American box office, with $22.8 million at 2,471 sites, final figures showed Monday.
Sunday estimates had indicated that “Rogue One” was ahead by less than $200,000. But the comedy-drama “Hidden Figures” performed well ahead of those estimates on Sunday to deny “Rogue One” a fourth consecutive box office crown. “Hidden Figures,” which follows a group of pioneering African-American women in the early days of the American space program, had been forecast last week to take in between $16 million and $18 million. Taraji P. Henson stars as Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who, along with her colleagues Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae), helps launch astronaut John Glenn into space.
The awards-season contender has a modest $25 million budget. Spencer was up for a Golden Globe in the supporting actress category on Sunday, but lost to Viola Davis (“Fences”). She’s also nominated for an individual and ensemble SAG Award. Female customers dominated “Hidden Figures” business, comprising 64% of the audience. Fox domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson noted that “Hidden Figures” generated an A+ CinemaScore in all categories. On Sunday, “Rogue One” performed about in line with projections and finished its fourth weekend with $22.1 million at 4,175 locations, lifting its domestic total past $477 million in its first 24 days. The eighth “Star Wars” movie is now the eighthlargest domestic grosser of all time, trailing “Finding Dory” by less than $10 million.
(variety)