Help make The Woman King a boxoffice success this weekend!

By George L. Cook III African American Reports

The Woman King starring Viola Davis opens this Friday and is expected to open #1 at the box office, but only with a $15 million opening per Variety.

That is simply not good enough if we wish to see different African American or Black stories told on the big screen. Black people, we need to show up at the theater this weekend and support this movie!

I read all the time on social media how many in the Black community love Viola Davis. I read how great of an actor many believe she is. I read how everyone is proud and supports her work to support women and Black people in the entertainment industry.

 I read how many African Americans are tired of comedies and "gangsta" movies featuring a majority Black cast. I read how you want to see different stories featuring Black people! I read how you would love to support different and something that was a quality motion picture.

If all of that is true then those same people who love Viola Davis on social media should show up to the movie theater this weekend and help The Woman King gross over $25 million.

Don't just show up because the cast is majority Black (although if that's your reason I ain't mad at you), show up because the reviews are excellent and The woman King currently holds a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Go see it because many reviews say that it's a rousing action adventure.

Most importantly go see it if you truly want to see different Black stories told!

Support The Woman King!

21st Annual American Black Film Festival Announces 2017 Dates

(Black PR Wire) NEW YORK,  – The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) recently announced that the 21st annual event will be held in Miami, June 14-18, 2017. In addition to the best of Black film and TV, the five-day festival will offer an innovative program with new experiences, including The Byron Lewis Careers in Entertainment Center, a multi day educational forum with lectures led by industry experts to provide insight into job opportunities in front of and behind the camera at studios and networks; and ABFF Immersive, where festival goers are introduced to virtual reality, 360° video and immersive storytelling through panel discussions, hands-on demos and immersive experiences that demonstrate how technology can impact storytelling. HBO, the ABFF’s founding and presenting sponsor, will be marking the 20th anniversary of the widely acclaimed HBO Short Film Competition at the festival.

Festival passes go on sale November 1 at www.abff.com, providing three different levels of access to festival screenings, official and premium events. Questions regarding registration may be directed to info@abffventures.com.

Submission rules and complete eligibility criteria for feature-length films, documentaries, shorts and web originals will be available at www.abff.com November 1.

Creed passes the 100 million dollar mark!

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com

Much like the underdog hero that the Ryan Coogler directed film's title refers to, the movie Creed has turned out to be the underdog film that reached blockbuster status.

No, it didn't do Star Wars The Force Awakens type numbers but it did gross 100 million in a very crowded and powerhouse field. The movie has made an estimated $103,456,653 as of 01/03/2016 per Boxoffice.com. The movie grossed 100 million plus while in direct competition with The Hunger Games: Mockinjay Part II, Peanuts, The Good Dinosaur, SPECTRE, and later crossed the 100 million mark in the massive movie presence that is Star Wars The Force Awakens.

The small film had about a 35 million dollar budget and early projections had it making something in the 80 to 85 million range. It obviously meet and exceeded those expectations.

This is quite an accomplishment for director Ryan Coogler and proved that a well made and good film can attract an audience regardless of the competition or color of the cast. The movie could also get an best supporting actor Oscar nomination for Sylvester Stallone thanks to Coogler's direction. Although it's a long shot Tessa Thompson deserves a best supporting actress nomination also.

Don't know if Ryan Coogler or Micheal B. Jordan will be nominated but all involved deserve congratulations.

Let's all give Ryan Coogler and Creed a hand for passing blockbuster status!

Official trailer for James Brown bio-pic "Get on Up"

Check out this trailer for the James Brown -bio-pic "Get On Up" The James Brown Story. Tate Taylor directs 42’s Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get on Up. Based on the incredible life story of the Godfather of Soul, the film will give a fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of Brown, taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Boseman is joined in the drama by Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter and Jill Scott. In theaters August 1, 2014.

Taye Diggs: Studios set double standard for black films

Actor Taye Diggs says Hollywood studios hold African-American films to a frustratingly separate and unfair standard.

Whether a studio decides to proceed with a black-oriented film can depend on the success of other movies with primarily African-American casts, even if the projects are unconnected, said Diggs, who starred in "The Best Man" romantic comedy and its sequel.

In a recent interview, the actor said he and others who worked on the "Best Man" movies are eager to start on a third. But its fate is tied to how other black-oriented films, including the upcoming "Think Like a Man Too," perform at the box office, he said.

"Unfortunately, the business is such that as far as studios are concerned, they judge one quote-unquote black movie on how other 'black' movies have done, even if they have nothing to do with each other," he said.

Read more: Studios set double standard for black films

Herb Jeffries the black singing cowboy dies at the age of 100

Herb Jeffries, the first black singing cowboy of the movies, who starred in such 1930s films as Harlem on the Prairie and The Bronze Buckaroo, has died, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was 100.

Jeffries, who later became a recording star as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra, died of heart failure Sunday at West Hills (Calif.) Hospital & Medical Center, Raymond Strait, who had been working with the actor on his autobiography, told the newspaper.

Read more: Herb Jeffries, Pioneering Black Singing Cowboy of the Movies, Dies at 100