Prepare To Be Inspired!
I love to share positive stories like this – there is a quiet “phenomenon” underway in our country for the terrific historical drama “Hidden Figures”, which could result in a nomination for Best Picture of the year!
Oscar nominations are revealed Tuesday, January 24th, and there is a sense in Hollywood that “Hidden Figures” is going to surprise everyone!
The story of “Hidden Figures” is inspiring: it reveals the role that three African-American women had in the launch of America’s space program, at a time of segregation in our country.
Here is the trailer:
When the film opened, expectations were “normal” – meaning that if it received good reviews and world of mouth, it might do well…but there was no sense that a groundswell of support would occur…
Toppling Darth Vader!
Entertainment industry experts were surprised when “Hidden Figures” soared past “Star Wars: Rogue One” to become America’s most popular film, and this revealing look at one aspect of America’s “race to space” just keeps building momentum…
Since opening, “Hidden Figures” has continued to grow in popularity – usually a film will open and then slowly fade – the opposite is happening here. Here is an excerpt from a terrific article on the film in The Atlantic:
“Since it expanded nationwide, it has spent two weeks at the top of the box office, ahead of big-budget films like Monster Trucks, Patriots Day, Live By Night, and Oscar frontrunner La La Land. Made for a comparatively small $25 million, the film is essentially guaranteed to gross at least $100 million in the United States alone, posting a very healthy profit for its studio, 20th Century Fox. The viewing public’s desire for a film like Hidden Figures is indisputable. So why does Hollywood make so few of them?”
The Atlantic article is a great read about how movie studios need to tell more stories like this – see the whole article here:
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/01/hidden-figures-box-office-success/513332/
The article goes on to ask why so few films are made that take on important stories like this…what’s great is that the box office success of “Hidden Figures” will help studios make the decision to tackle more diverse stories.
“Hidden Figures” Plays “Hardball!”
I love “Hardball” on MSNBC, and Host Chris Matthews had the entire cast and creative team on his show to discuss the film – it was a spirited, upbeat and insightful conversations nd I’m so happy that the segment is available online to see.
Here is a terrific interview segment with Chris Matthews on “Hardball”:
The phenomenon that is “Hidden Figures” is exciting: the film tells a story that was neglected for so long…and people are responding to it.
That is is stark contrast to another film that recently opened:
“Monster Trucks” bombed when it opened in movie theaters – in fact, the parent company behind the film wrote off $115-million dollars before it even opened!
Here is that story:
Bravo to the entire cast and crew for shedding light on a woefully neglected part of history!
