Photo: Miikka Skaffari/Getty
The Woman KingdirectorGina Prince-Bythewoodsaid it is “incredibly moving” that celebrities across Hollywood are supporting her movie.
Last Friday, Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball) toldShadow And Actin a statement that the support for her movie shows “people want to share the feeling the film has given them” amid a report that a number ofBlack celebrities are buying out entire theatersfor fans to go seeThe Woman King.
“Folks are riding for this film and it is incredibly moving because it means people want to share the feeling the film has given them,” Prince-Bythewood said. “But more so there is a palpable feeling of so many rooting for the film because it’s success touches all of us.”
“When one of us succeeds, it keeps the door open for more of us to disrupt the industry with our original stories,” she added.
Some of the celebrities who have reportedly bought out entire theaters forWoman Kingscreenings since it debuted Sept. 16 includeOctavia Spencer,Tracee Ellis Ross,Kerry Washington,Lena Waithe,Sanaa Lathan,Kandi Burruss, SZA,Jennifer Hudson,Taraji P. Henson, Boris and Nicole Kodjoe,Gabrielle Union,Tina Knowles-Lawsonand Luvvie Ajayi, according to Shadow and Bone.
The Woman King.Sony Pictures
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The movie starsViola Davisas the commander of the all-female Agojie military unit of the Dahomey kingdom in 1800s Africa alongsideThuso Mbedu,Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim,Hero Fiennes TiffinandJohn Boyega. It debuted at the box office’s top spot in its opening weekend and continued with a strong hold in the following weeks.
“I think people have a tendency to say we only represent a certain percentage of the box office,” Davis, 57, toldVarietyof the film’s performance in September. “We know Black women. We know they’re going to bring people they work with, spouses and families, and come back five or six times during the weekend.”
“We are in an industry that doesn’t see the power Black women have at the global box office,” she added.
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“There was a sense that our stories aren’t universal and can’t reach the white man or woman or the Hispanic man or woman,” Davis told the outlet, adding that “human stories are for everyone, not just Black consumption.”
The Oscar winner also shared a conversation she had with a white woman who enjoyed the movie and expressed her surprise for liking it. “I know my story can reach you as your story can reach me,” she recalled telling the woman. “The only one it surprises is you.”
In the comment section, Davis replied, “Thank you, Octavia! Love you sis,” and Spencer wrote back, “love you, too! Congratulations on this fantastic movie. It’s a story we needed to see and only you could do it justice. So proud for you!!!”
The Woman Kingis now in theaters.
source: people.com
