'Girls Trip' Breaks Box-Office Barriers

For decades, Hollywood studios have operated on the premise that a film featuring a black cast wouldn't necessarily reach and play to a wider audience.

But now, moviegoers are taking matters into their own hands, challenging that assumption and proving Hollywood wrong. The latest example came over the weekend as Universal's critical darling Girls Trip opened to a rousing $30.4 million — the best start for an R-rated comedy in two years and the best showing for any live-action comedy so far this year. The movie achieved those distinctions because it appealed to an array of audiences: African-Americans made up 51 percent of ticket buyers, followed by Caucasians at 38 percent, according to industry leader PostTrak.

Girls Trip, directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who shared producing duties with Will Packer, placed an impressive No. 2 behind Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, which opened to $50.5 million. Girls Trip cost around $20 million to produce, while Dunkirk sported a net budget of $100 million.

Earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore — virtually unprecedented for a live-action comedy —  Girls Trip stars Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah as four lifelong friends who travel to New Orleans for a wild, raunchy weekend of fun.

Read the rest of this article at The Hollywood Reporter.

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