Hidden Figures Beats Out Rogue One in Weekend Box Office

Hidden Figures may not have won big on awards night, but the biopic about NASA’s black female engineers pulled out what many are calling an underdog victory at the weekend box office. The New York Times initially reported that Hidden Figures had tied with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but final numbers showed Figures slightly outpacing the sci-fi epic by about $700,000. The fact that Hidden Figures was playing in about half as many theaters as its competitor lends extra weight to the accomplishment. Cast member Janelle Monae took a moment to celebrate the achievement in a post on her Instagram page that has garnered more than 41,000 likes. And yes, Rogue One is in its fourth week, and yes, it’s still on track to gross way more than Hidden Figures could ever hope for, but just...let us have this one, mkay?

[h/t Variety]

2017 WGA Nominees Announced

In awards season news, the WGA has announced its nominees for best screenplay. Categories include Original, Adapted, and Documentary screenplays, and there’s a good amount of diversity in this year’s nominees. In the Original category there’s Loving, inspired by the true story of the first interracial marriage in American history, and Moonlight, an exploration of black masculinity and sexuality written and directed by Barry Jenkins. I have gone on the record about my deep and abiding love for Moonlight, so it’s safe to assume which script I’m pulling for this year. There are two more highlights in the Adapted screenplay category, with the late great August Wilson’s Fences and Taraji P. Henson vehicle Hidden Figures. Win or lose, it’s nice to see stories by people of color and about people of color finally getting some well-deserved recognition.