“The Woman King” (Sony) saved theaters this weekend, selling 40 percent of all tickets as it grossed 19 million.
That’s at the high end of expectations for the mid-budget (50 million) production directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood that stars Viola Davis as a general training young female soldiers in 19th century Dahomey.Driven by a Black female audience that skews older, this is an impressive start for what could be a long-running success.
It’s the first film to get an A+ Cinemascore since “Maverick-2022-movie-posters/”>Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount) and it has potential to expand to broader audiences as word of mouth spreads.
It’s also the latest 2022 non-franchise release to get positive or better results.
Sony’s low-budget “The Invitation” was also a recent #1 release.“The Woman King” fed the hunger of many moviegoers with its combination of action, history, strong female and African characters, freshness, and originality.
Superficially, it couldn’t appear more different than “Maverick,
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