Despite strong criticism, Viola Davis-starrer ‘The Woman King‘ is creating commercial ripples. The film had a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8th, 2022. The film was embroiled in a controversy for downplaying history and whitewashing. ‘The Woman King‘ is a riveting story of Agojie warriors, a 6,000 unit of female soldiers. It is noted that they protected the West African Dahomey kingdom between the 17th and 19th centuries. Viola Davis plays the leader of the pack.
Gina Prince-Bythewood directed this stellar visual and inclusive experience. However, after the release of the film on Friday critics took it on themselves to boycott the film. There are accusations of “rewriting” the ghastly past of the Agojie. Amidst this, the film had a roaring opening at the box office.
Also Read: ‘The Woman King’ Controversy
‘The Woman King’ Had A Massive Box-Office Opening
Amidst all the backlash of downplaying history and whitewashing accusations, the film emerged victorious. In its opening weekend, the film had a strong word of mouth and positive reviews. This led to the earning of $19 million on its opening weekend. The predictions earlier estimated the opening between $15 million-$18 million. Surprisingly, its parent production house Sony estimated the earnings to be $12 million. Defying all the odds and emerging above the predictions, the film opened to $19 million at 3,765 North American screens.
Due to positive audience traction, the film has received an “A+” cinema score. As per Variety, women accounted for 61% of the ticket buyers on Friday and Sunday and 60% were Black people. It successfully translated stories of black women. Along with that, 19% Caucasians and 11% Hispanics hit the theatres. One of the upsides of releasing the film last Friday is lack of competition. Now that the audience is loving the film, it may have a strong hold until this Friday when Olivia Wilde’s ‘Don’t Worry Darling‘ hits the theaters.
Also Read: Viola Davis On Facing Rejection Due To Race: “It Pisses Me Off, It Has Broken My Heart”
‘The Film Landed With Me’: Viola Davis Was Sure That The Film Will Do The Numbers
‘The Woman King‘ became a target of scathing remarks of the audience and critics on the Twitter with #boycottthewomanking. During a press tour interview, Viola addressed the issue and said, “First of all, I agree with Gina Prince-Bythewood saying you’re not going to win an argument on Twitter. We entered the story where the kingdom was in flux, at a crossroads.”
She continued, “They were looking to find some way to keep their civilization and kingdom alive. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that they were decimated. Most of the story is fictionalized. It has to be.”
The veteran actress also believed that the story they were telling was “undeniable, powerful story.” Asking about the numbers it did, she said “The way we see numbers today is not the way we see the numbers. I think people have a tendency to say, we only represent a certain percentage of the box office.” She also said she never doubted the film would not land, because it landed with her.
Also Read: Is ‘The Woman King’ Based On A True Story?
