‘Hidden Figures’ Surpasses ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Jason Bourne,’ and ‘X-Men’ at the Box Office

Blogged by @hshtgmike

The Wrap reports that ‘Hidden Figures’ has accrued a domestic box office total of $162.8 million as of this past weekend. This puts the film, based on the true story of NASA’s black female mathematicians, ahead of last year’s blockbusters, ‘X-Men’ ($155.4 mil), ‘Star Trek’ ($158.8 mil), and ‘Jason Bourne’ ($162.4 mil).

Though these films are part of high-profile franchises with massive global releases, ‘Hidden Figures’ still manages to hold its own with critically-acclaimed writing and performances. Both of which garnered recognition during the award season, including nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, and winning the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

The film’s success speaks to the growing interest in films with diverse casts. A UCLA study released last month showed that films with casts of 21 to 31 percent minority had an average box office of $105 million, versus $42 million for those that had 10 percent or less.

‘Hidden Figures,’ starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe, was released Christmas Day of 2016 to select theaters before seeing a wide release on January 6, so its theatrical run is not quite over. The film is available on Blu-ray/DVD on Tuesday, April 11.