The Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” opened at No. 4 at the North American box office this weekend, earning an estimated $8.8 million in its debut frame, according to reports.
That’s on par with pre-release box office projections for the movie, which stars Jennifer Hudson as the Queen of Soul in a role hand-picked by the Detroit icon prior to her 2018 death.
“Respect” is earning the respect of theatergoers, racking up an A grade from CinemaScore, which measures audience reaction.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 63% “Fresh” score from critics and a 94% score from audiences.
MORE: Review: Aretha biopic earns ‘Respect,’ honors Queen of Soul’s rise
MORE: Aretha: A deeper look at the Queen of Soul and ‘Respect’ movie
The film made 63% of its gross from Midwest and East coast audiences, Deadline reports. Ticketbuyers were 48% African American and 66% female and 86% over 25, according to Gitesh Pandya of boxofficeguru.com.
The video game action-comedy “Free Guy,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer, was the weekend’s No. 1 film with an estimated $28.4 million.
The horror sequel “Don’t Breathe 2,” the sequel to the Detroit-set “Don’t Breathe,” opened at No. 2 with $10.6 million.
“The Suicide Squad,” fell 70% in its second weekend to $7.75 million and a No. 5 finish.
agraham@detroitnews.com
@grahamorama