It was like they had to assemble the performances in the editing room. I feel like it's hard to do such a breezy inspirational story right without being cloying or just eye-rollingly cheesy, but this one did it.
This is exactly the kind of movie that you put on when you're visiting your parents or want something feel good and PG rated.Īnd damn, it's a good movie. This is a movie that a.) fulfills ESPN Films deal they have (might be done), b.) serves for branding, showing Disney doing some form of content diversity, and c.) will be very popular on Home Video. That's why marketing was small - they knew there wasn't much money to make. Disney probably didn't even bat an eye at losing maybe 10 million bucks. Its an African story about African people doing incredible things. Its based on the true story of Ugandan chess champion Phiona Mutesi. The acting is fantastic across the board, with particularly great performances from the young star Madina Nalwanga and from Lupita Nyongo. Grossed 8 million on a 15 million budget. I recommend watching Queen of Katwe: It has 92 on Rotten Tomatoes. I honestly think Queen of Katwe did exactly what Disney expected. Amongst the usual comic book movie discussion (hah) there's some really interesting insight into why movies make the money they do. The fact that you jumped to that conclusion shows how closeminded you are.Ĭheck out r/boxoffice. I hope you feel like an asshole for assuming that I like the movie only because it stars black people when I have plenty of valid reasons to like the movie. I liked the movie and imagined it was directed by a man like most movies, but then I saw that it was a woman when I watched this roundtable and I thought "oh she's cool". A Ugandan girl’s life changes forever when she discovers she has an amazing talent for chess, in this celebration of the human spirit. I included that because I was surprised to find out it was directed by a woman. Disney presents Queen of Katwe, a movie based on a vibrant true story starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo, and directed by Mira Nair.