Think about the relative size of the film – was it a big budget blockbuster, or was it a medium sized budget film?

• Hidden Figures had a budget of 25 million USD, making it a low to medium budget Hollywood film.
• The movie was a co-production, between independent production companies and the major Hollywood conglomerate company, Fox 2000 Pictures.

 What do you think was the appeal of this film to Fox studios? 

• Low budget films had becoming increasingly more know for their profit potential
• Shines a light on a story few of us know about but which deserves to be more widely known.

What was the appeal of this film to audiences?

• Packed with history lessons, messages about morality 
• Inspiring
• True story
• Recounts the triumphs and struggles of three black women whose work was crucial to NASA in the early 1960s — a time when racial segregation was the law of the land, and gender discrimination was still the norm.

Do you think this film was a success?

• I think the film was a major success because – it was the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee at the 89th Academy Awards. 
• Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be 95.55 million USD
• One of the top twenty most profitable release of 2016
• It was rated 7.8/10 on IMDb and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes

Hidden Figures was released in December 2016 and was directed by Theodore Melfi. The film’s budget was $25 million (the average film budget is between $70 and $90 million) and at the box office it got $236 million .

It is based on the book called “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

It is set in 1961 and is about three black women that were recruited by NASA as “human computers” to help figure out the maths to ensure that the rocket will have no faults.

It was nominated for many awards and won 11 awards including: BET Award for Best Movie, MTV Movie Award for Best Hero and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. IMDb gave it a 7.8/10, on Rotten Tomatoes it was rated 93% and Metacritic gave it 74%.

Overview

• Hidden Figures is a co-production between independent production companies and a major Hollywood conglomerate through its film subdivision Fox 2000
• Case study of industry context would include Fox as a conglomerate with an exploration of the role of low budget film making in its wider strategy.
• With a budget of $25m Hidden Figures is a low to medium budget Hollywood film, an industry category which has recently been recognized for its profit potential.
• Distribution techniques – focus on traditional distribution and exhibition linked to targeted audience.
• The concept of “risk-taking” in terms of subject matter which might not be tackled by big budget productions.
• Regulation of conglomerates, debates about ownership and control

What is Hidden Figures?

• It is a 2016 American based biographical drama film.
• It is a hybridization of the history, drama and biography genre.
• It was directed by Theodore Melfi and was written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder and was later acquired film rights by Fox 2000 Pictures..
• It is loosely based on the non-fiction book “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterley about dark skinned female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race
• The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Glen Powell and Mahershala Ali.

Do people enjoy the film?

• It was rated 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
• The New York Times says that “There is something to be said for a well-told tale with a clear moral and a satisfying emotional payoff“
• Simran Hans from The Guardian says that “This drama about a trio of African-American women doing maths wonders for NASA has few subtleties, but is done with such verve it’s hard to dislike“