‘Harriet’ Passes $40 Million Mark at Domestic Box Office

Harriet (Credit: Focus Features)

Harriet continued to resonate with audiences this weekend, bringing in another $810,000 for a domestic box office total through Sunday of $40.8 million dollars.

The Focus Features release about abolitionist Harriet Tubman arrived in theaters on Nov. 1, and made a better-than-expected $12 million dollar debut. The drama had a reported production budget of $17 million and has entered into profitable territory.

Kasi Lemmons-directed the biopic starring Tony Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo as Tubman, who was born a slave in Maryland and escaped to freedom. Over her lifetime, Tubman helped hundreds of other enslaved African Americans reach freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad.

The supporting cast in the film includes Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn, Clarke Peters, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Jennifer Nettles, Omar J. Dorsey, Henry Hunter Hall, Tim Guinee, and Nick Basta.

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For the weekend, Harriet claimed the number 12 spot at the box office.

Elsewhere, Disney’s Frozen 2 held onto the top spot after bringing in another $34.6 million, according to Comscore.

Lionsgate’s Knives Out, now in its second weekend, claimed the No. 2 spot with $14.1 million.

Fox’s Ford V. Ferrari earned $6.5 million for a third place finish. Universal’s Queen and Slim added 25 theaters and earned $6.5 million for a fourth place finish — it was just a few thousand dollars behind Ford V. Ferrari.

Sony’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood rounded out the top five with $5.2 million

Also worth noting, A24’s Waves washed out after expanding to 570 locations this weekend and taking in $421,625. The drama about a suburban family led by a well-intentioned but domineering father, stars Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alexa Demie, and Sterling K. Brown. It received positive reviews from critics with an 85 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, but has only taken in $1 million since opening on Nov. 15.

Box office for weekend of Dec. 8, 2019. (Credit: Comscore)