’12 Years a Slave’ Has Big Opening Weekend With Diverse Audience

The film had a successful opening weekend that extended far beyond the box office.

By Jamilah King Oct 21, 2013

Steve McQueen’s ’12 Years a Slave’ made an in impressive United States debut over the weekend. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film grossed $960,000 from 19 theaters in six top markets for an average of slightly more than $50,500 average at each location.

Fox Searchlight distribution chief Frank Rodriguez said that the success went far beyond the opening weekend box office numbers. The film "reached an incredibly diverse audience. Playing in theaters including Lincoln Plaza in New York and the Showcase Icon in Chicago, we have been attracting both the art/specialty cinephile crowd, as well as the African-American audience," Rodriguex told the Hollywood Reporter.