Are you not entertained? The Woman King kicked off in 3,765 theaters across the nation over opening weekend (Sept. 16), drawing a box office of $19M. The two-hour, action-packed epic averaged $1.8K per theater, totaling $6.8M on Friday (including Thursday night box office sales at $1.7M), $7.1M on Saturday, and $5.1M on Sunday.
The TriStar Pictures film earned the No. 1 spot for opening films over the weekend, with director Ti West’s Pearl logging a $3.1M opening in 2,935 theaters, Disney’s See How They Run opening at $3M in 2,404 theaters, and Neon’s David Bowie doc, Moonage Daydream earning $1.23M in 170 theaters. Barbarian, the Zach Cregger-directed horror pic from 20th Century Studios, made a pretty decent killing in box office, with an accumulative $6.5M in its second weekend.
Back to The Woman King, in addition to a stellar cast that consists of Emmy and Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis, John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode IX), Sheila Atim (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad), and Lashana Lynch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), a spicy online campaign to boycott the film may have also contributed to the intrigue of a predominately Black-woman led film.
The overarching theme nestles comfortably in women empowerment as it delves into the story of all-female warriors knighted with the duty to protect the African Kingdom of Dahomey. General Nanisca (Viola Davis) passes the torch to a new group of recruits that must learn mental tenacity and discipline, in addition to physical dominance of their enemies.
The Woman King is more than just an action pic, giving insight to the transatlantic slave trade that coerced millions of enslaved Africans to be shipped in inhumane conditions to the Americas. For more than two hours, I was immersed in the superb acting of believable artists that did an excellent job of translating its emotional journey through the silver-screen.
Yet, when I left the Dolby theater after watching the credits (stay until the end for the bonus clip), somehow I knew that some people would have something to complain about. In fact, I could create a checklist — spoiler alert. Misogynists won’t like women being in leadership roles where they dominant men. Racial purists won’t like the presence of an interracial love interest. History buffs will be disenchanted with the retelling of historical events, nitpicking every bit of inaccuracy, forgetting that the film is inspired by history and not necessarily depicted as actual events.
It’s a heavy film that offers a lot of context and leaves moviegoers with much to think about. If I’m being honest, the eyebrow-raising amount of pain inflicted on the women of Dahomey in the film was unbelievable — at one point, one of the characters breaks her arm and when her counterpart pops the broken bone back in, she acts as if nothing happened. Seriously, this movie made stab wounds seem like mere paper cuts. History has it that the women of Dahomey were just that tough.
Depictions like these are all the more reason to watch the film for yourself and do your own research instead of following the presumptuous criticisms of social media instigators. Upon the film’s opening, a segment of people initiated a boycott of the Gina Prince-Bythewood pic, claiming outrage that a Hollywood studio would choose to glorify a film that showcases an African Kingdom willingly participating in the transatlantic slave trade. Anyone who watches the film in its entirety will learn that General Nanisca’s mission is to end this very travesty by fulfilling their economical ambitions with a natural resource instead of human capital.
Another point of contention lies in the fact that the film is developed and produced by actress Maria Bello, with many pointing out her race and ethnicity. Davis is also a producer, alongside her husband, Julius Tennon of JuVee Productions, and Cathy Schulman of ReFrame. Peter McAleese is executive producer, while Dale Butler is co-producer. It still amazes me how people believe a society can progress without interracial collaboration.
Moviegoers who actually watched the film gave it an impressive audience score of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while critics rate the film at 94 percent. It’s a well-earned rating that accurately pinpoints The Woman King’s entertainment value and originality. If you can’t appreciate the experience that this film offers, maybe the art of film is not for you. Besides, the Quentin Tarantinos, Martin Scorseses, Francis Ford Coppolas, and many male directed films are often praised for creative range in storytelling.
