Entertainment

Photo Credit: The Breeze

The Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis stars in Sony picture's "The Woman King," which had a successful second weekend in cinemas and is expected to sell more than $11.2 worth of tickets domestically from Friday through Sunday.

Despite a 42% decline in sales during the first weekend, it is still a higher performance than blockbuster movies. Statistics show that many blockbuster movies have a 50% to 70% decline over their second weekend.

Paul Dergarabedian, a Comscore senior media analyst, said, "Proof that ″The Woman King' is in it for the long haul is reflected in its 42% second-weekend drop. As expected, great word of mouth and awards season buzz has helped the film to become a must-see movie event."

Analysts predict that "The Woman King" will soon sell enough tickets to pay its $50 million production budget and even exceed its early projections if ticket sales continue at this rate. Box office experts also compared "The Woman King" to other movies like "Top Gun: Maverick," which has recently become popular with a wide range of individuals.

Some other projects, like "Don't Worry Darling," are also getting positive results. This is because "Don't Worry Darling" is predicted to make $19.2 million in its first weekend, which is more than half of its $35 million production budget.

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Low-budget films are taking the helm

Low-budget movies that are successful in theaters are reflected in productions like "The Woman King" and "Don't Worry Darling." For theater owners, the anticipated popularity of these movies is excellent news for business. Although they have not yet reached the same degree of success as international blockbusters like "Avatar" or "Avengers," the money made from these movies provides extra revenue to theaters.

The epidemic has caused millions of dollars worth of losses by drastically reducing the number of movies released in theaters. They have moved to internet streaming services to distribute films and movies on schedule. However, film productions have begun to air in theaters because limitations have been loosened.

Compared to the time before the epidemic, the number of movies playing in theaters is still small. For example, only 2,000 films were released in 2022, a 40% decline from the number of releases in 2019.

Shawn Robbins, a chief analyst from BoxOffice.com, said, ″‘The Woman King' is another great example of original content connecting with and inspiring moviegoers on its course for a lengthy box office run that could be capped by award season nominations in the months ahead."

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"The Woman King" highlights the problems of women

A feminist from Nigeria named Oyeronke Oyebanji saw the film and offered various comments after learning more about the cast and storyline.

"As a Nigerian feminist, I have always been curious about how feminism has evolved in my country and culture. So naturally, I was curious to see "The Woman King," the new movie about an all-female troop of warriors in a 19th-century West African kingdom," she said.

"I'm not surprised by what I saw. But I am sad to report that the inequalities faced by the women in the movie do indeed reflect the struggles that women today face in many parts of the world, including West Africa."

The film, according to Oyebanji, demonstrates the pervasiveness of gender inequality throughout human history. For women of color, this injustice is more severe since they face prejudice not only because they are women but also because of their skin color.

"By exploring the lives of these bold women, the film illustrates how the lack of equal rights for women is a problem that has lasted for centuries. While I was deeply inspired to see an all-female army led by a strong woman, I was also dismayed by the inequalities that these soldiers had to suffer. Unlike their male counterparts, the Agojie women were not allowed to marry or become parents as, in theory, they belonged to the king," added Oyebanji.

The movie's star and producer, Viola Davis, also expressed her attachment to it and how moved she was by its message.

"What felt different was ownership, agency, controlling my voice. It's our story. There is no white savior in the movie. There's none. We save ourselves," said Davis.

Source: CNBC