Hidden Figures Just Surpassed Three 2016 Blockbusters In A Huge Way

Taraji P Henson Janelle Monae and Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures was one of the last movies to be released in 2016, hitting theaters on Christmas Day of that year in select theaters (it later opened wide on January 6). That means its theatrical run still isn't quite done, and that extended period has paid off. Thanks to the movie's impressive critical reception, including its recognition during awards season, more people have been going to see the biographical drama, and as of this past weekend, it's made more money domestically than X-Men: Apocalypse, Jason Bourne and Star Trek Beyond, three fellow 2016 releases.

According to The Wrap, Hidden Figures' domestic total rose to $162.8 million at the end of this past weekend. For comparison, Jason Bourne, which marked Matt Damon's return to the Bourne franchise after nearly a decade, ended its theatrical run taking in $162.4 million domestically, while X-Men: Apocalypse, the ninth installment of the X-Men franchise, and Star Trek Beyond, the third of that franchise's reboot movies, took in $155.4 million and $158.8 million, respectively. Although Hidden Figures' worldwide gross doesn't come near cracking what any of these three movies made in various countries, it's incredible that the movie has performed so well in the United States, showing that you don't always need to be part of a franchise or "brand" to guarantee financial success. Plus, don't forget that Hidden Figures was only made off $25 million, while those three blockbusters had budgets stretching past $100 million.

Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, Hidden Figures told the story of real life African-American mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, who were instrumental to many of NASA's accomplishments in the 1960s. The supporting cast included Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Mahershala Ali, Glenn Powell and Jim Parsons. Among the many accolades it has earned include winning three African-American Film Critics and three NAACP Image Awards, as well as being nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and three Academy Awards.

If you haven't had the opportunity to see Hidden Figures yet, take a look at the trailer below to get an idea of the movie's premise and why it's done so well both critically and commercially.

Hidden Figures is still playing throughout the U.S., so if you want to contribute to that domestic haul, grab a seat at a theater near you soon. If you're unable to do that, you can buy the biopic on home media starting with the Digital HD release on Friday, March 28 and the Blu-ray/DVD release on Tuesday, April 11.

Adam Holmes
Senior Content Producer

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.