The Help, the film based on Kathryn Stockett’s novel of the same name, crossed the $100 million mark in box-office receipts in less than three weeks of national release. As of Aug. 30, the movie has earned $100.9 million domestically. The film opened Aug. 10.
“We never imagined this film, which began its journey inspired by the enthusiasm of a small group of Mississippi friends, would ever even get made. Now to have it seen and embraced by so many people is just beyond our wildest dreams,” said the film’s director, Tate Taylor.
The film’s success is rarely seen in wide-ranging markets such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles as well as Nashville, Dallas and East Memphis, Tenn. Industry insiders assign this to the popularity of the book as well as the Southern-themed story and the wide appeal of the multiracial cast.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a closer examination reveals that older women helped drive the early success of the film with larger than usual attendance numbers. The film netted $71.3 million in its first 10 days. The number of men coming to see the film rose during the first week as well.
The film stars Viola Davis. Davis also starred in Doubt; Eat, Pray, Love; Knight and Day; State of Play; Solaris; The Architect; Antwone Fisher; and Madea Goes to Jail, to name a few. She also has a recurring role on the “United States of Tara” and has appeared on most “Law and Order” franchises, “CSI,” “Brothers and Sisters,” “Travelers,” “Century City,” “The Practice,” and “New York Undercover.”
