The Friday box office numbers are in, and in a surprising twist, a female-led historical drama about the space race may be the film to finally dethrone the female-led space-set epicRogue Onefrom the #1 spot. Indeed, directorTheodore Melfi’s (St. Vincent) feel-good dramaHidden Figuresis performing above expectations, bringing in a strong $7.6 million on Friday and a stellar A+ CinemaScore from audiences. The film was a late entry to the awards season but the 20th Century Fox drama has garnered swell reviews andcould well be on its way to a Best Picture nomination. Helping matters would certainly be a headline-grabbing #1 debut at the box office, which certainly seems possible at this point.
The film starsTaraji P. Henson,Octavia Spencer, andJanelle Monaeas three real-life African-American NASA employees whose calculations and smarts were vital to makingJohn Glenn’s historic space flight a success. The film is devoid of cynicism and tackles race issues in a striking manner, and it boasts a stellar ensemble that also includesKevin CostnerandKirsten Dunst.
But it’s a close box office race indeed.Rogue Onegrossed $6 million on Friday and could edge ahead ofHidden Figuresin the long-run, although snow storms on the east coast may result in lower-than-expected numbers. TheStar Warsspinoff has now crossed $461.4 million at the domestic box office, putting it in striking distance of 2016’s highest grossing releaseFinding Doryat $486.2 million. It’s also now #10 on the list of the highest grossing films of all time, domestic, knockingAvengers: Age of Ultron’s $459 million total off the list.
However,Rogue Oneisn’t the only film givingHidden Figuresa fight for the #1 weekend spot.Singscored $5.1 million on Friday, which should bring its domestic total to a stunning $200 million in just a couple weeks of release.
As for the weekend’s other new release,Underworld: Blood Wars—the fifth installment in the vampire actioner franchise—grossed an estimated $5 million on Friday and is headed for a weekend total around $13 million. That would mark a franchise low-point, although not by much—the previous largest opening weekend for anUnderworldmovie was $26.8 million for the first sequel,Underworld: Evolution. The last installment,Underworld Awakening, earned a swell $97.7 million in foreign box office alone though, so one imagines Screen Gems is hinging on a strong international showing.
And finally,La La Landis making its way up the charts as it continues to expand. The Oscar frontrunner pushed to 1,515 theaters this weekend and is off to a strong start with $3.1 million on Friday for an estimated $10 million weekend. The film’s domestic total will hit over $50 million after this weekend, which is impressive for the smaller-budgeted musical. And the sky’s the limit, as the film’s profile is only expected to rise with a strong showing at the Golden Globes this Sunday and no doubt a bevy of Oscar nominations later this month.
Check out the Friday’s Top 5 below and check back tomorrow for full weekend estimates.
Friday Estimate
Hidden Figures
$7,575,000
$10,529,178
$6,054,000
$461,355,354
$5,100,000
$198,899,645
La La Land
$3,140,000
$44,796,587
Passengers
$2,700,000
$74,793,043
