Ruth Bader Ginsburg continues to rule at the box office. Last year Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s doc about the Supreme Court Justice, “RBG,” became one of the highest-grossing documentaries since 1982. And now Mimi Leder’s biopic about the feminist icon’s early career, “On the Basis of Sex,” is demonstrating its own strength at ticket counters.
According to Deadline, “On the Basis of Sex’s” expansion into wide release this past weekend netted $6.2 million, bringing its earnings to $10.55 million overall. IndieWire notes that this is quite an accomplishment considering its distributor, Focus Features, “is achieving this without any Oscar campaign. It’s rare for a specialized interest film during this time of year to dominate the field when so many awards contenders are still on-screen,” the source adds.
“On the Basis of Sex” isn’t the only women-centric/women-directed pic impressing at the box office. Josie Rourke’s “Mary Queen of Scots” cleared the $15 million benchmark in its sixth week in theaters. The period piece stars Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as political rivals and cousins Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I.
“The Favourite,” a black comedy about the personal and political machinations of Queen Anne’s court, brought in $1.1 million. Tjhe period pic has grossed nearly $21.5 million since its November 23 opening. Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara wrote its script. Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz star. All three actresses were nominated for Golden Globes for their performances, and Colman won.
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” the story of a young woman fighting to prove her incarcerated fiancé’s innocence, nabbed $2.4 million this weekend, reaching $7.68 million cumulatively. Deadline predicts its future earnings will be contingent on the number of Academy Award nominations it picks up. Regina King took home the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her turn as the protagonist’s loving, loyal mother.
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s doc “Free Solo” screened in 154 venues this past weekend, including 97 Imax locations. The chronicle of Alex Honnold’s free solo climb of the 3,000-foot El Capitan Wall took in $813K, bringing its box office total to $12.3 million. “This pushed the movie ahead of ‘Three Identical Strangers’ as the third biggest 2018 documentary,” per IndieWire. “Free Solo” is among the films shortlisted for the Oscars’ Documentary Feature category.
