Who could have believed that a Hollywood movie directed by Lee Daniel, an African-American that examines more than 60 years of socio-political history through the life of an African-American White House butler would have happened, much less been released toward summer's end?
And that it would become the talk of the nation as both "Oscar bait" and cultural signifier?
Oh... and make more money in its opening weekend than anybody, including its producers, expected?
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| Lee Daniel |
Did it work? Put it this way: The most optimistic forecast for "Butler's" opening weekend was $15 million. It has so far earned more than $25 million, easily outdistancing such late-season action franchises as "Kick Ass 2" ($13.5 million).
Though no industry pundit expects it to pass the magic blockbuster borderline of $100 million, "The Butler" has already achieved enough capital, in money and buzz, to make people wonder whether it heralds yet another surge in serious commercial films about African-American life, past and present.
We will, as always, see. Whatever the future holds for "Lee Daniels' The Butler", one groundbreaking fact remains: Somehow, someway, a commercial feature film about the civil rights era was made by a black director with a predominantly black cast without a major white character being the focus of the narrative.
Source: CNN
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