First things
first, let’s get straight to what you really want to know. How did "Dear White People" do this weekend, in its
opening limited engagement compared to other films?
The answer
is: very good indeed. The film opened on just 11 screens this weekend, and made an astounding average of $31,273, for a otal of $344,000. Compared to other films that also opened in limited release
this weekend, "DWP" was second only to the
highly praised "Birdman" by "Babel" director Alejandro Inarritu, starring Michael
Keaton, which opened on just 4 screens, with an average of $103,750, for a total of
$415,000.
When "DWP" opens wider this Friday, across the country, we shall see how it stacks up against other films. But, considering the budget of the film (which writer/director
Justin Simien said was “real low”) it
will no doubt be very successful.
So what does the B.O. success of "DWP" mean for
black cinema, if anything? Will producers, filmmakers
and potential financial backers finally see that audiences want more diversity in black cinema, instead of the usual romcoms and comedies
that we’ve been mainly stuck with, of late? Or will it just be the same old, same old?
Personally, I’m thinking definitely the latter. Or maybe it’s too much of a burden to put on one film? What do you say?
As for the
major studio releases this weekend, the Brad Pitt/David Ayer WW II film "Fury," as
expected, garnered the No.1 slot, with some $23.5 million, while David Fincher’s "Gone Girl" is still holding up strong, with $17.8 million, and is clearly headed for $150 million or more domestically.
Fox’s animated film, "The Book of Life," produced
by Guillermo del Toro, came in third, with $17 million. Meanwhile, "The Equalizer" slipped down to 9th place, with some $5.4 million, and just over $89 million total domestic, and $69.6 million
overseas. It will no doubt cross over the $100 million mark domestically, as expected, making it the fifth Denzel Washington film to hit that mark.
11) Addicted Lionsgate $3,472,423 Total: $12,842,877
