• I believe that the size of the film was small/medium because it was only a budget of $25m, however it was recognised for its profit potential. 
• The specific appeal of this film to fox studios is that it provides useful information and insight in order to refer to the world’s current situation today. Due to the fact that the film is within a medium budget, this means it has a lot more profitable potential as less money is spent to make the film in the first place.  
• To entice and excite the audience, they can feel educated watching this film as it takes them back in time and refers to history to give the audience an idea of the pressure and involvement before the first man went to the moon. 
• The film earned $236m from a budget of $25m which they spent on it, therefore making $211m so lots of profit was made overall.

• The film was a small to medium budget production at $25m – films with budgets like this have been recognized by conglomerates for their profit potential. 
• The appeal of this film to Fox studios is that it provides insight and commentates on the social situation of today. Also the film is a medium budget production which means it has a higher profit potential than a large budget film. 
• The appeal of this film to audiences is education about history and because it comments on social issues like racism that people in today’s society can also relate to. 
• The film was successful on a profit level, with it earning $236 million against a budget of $25 million, making the total revenue figure around $211 million. 

• low-medium budget Hollywood film ($25m), because it’s a risk-taking idea that challenges ideologies
• Companies involved – Levantine Films, Peter Chernin Entertainment, Fox 2000
• Fox 2000 liked the idea of having an idea that was different even though it’s risky, which could have high rewards because it’s not a common thing so is niche to the film industry
• Audiences liked the idea that it challenged dominant ideas and spoke about real issue such as race
• budget = $25m. Gross revenue = $236m = 9.44 times the original budget, Hidden Figures was a successful film

• Low to minimum budget film (had a budget of $25m)
• It is a co-production between independent production companies and a major Hollywood conglomerate through its film subdivision Fox 2000
• The appeal to fox may have been the fact that it was a low budget film and they thought the cultural message may be popular with the public, therefore potential for a high profit 
• Then “Hidden Figures” earned $22.8 million its first weekend, $133.8 million in total , it’s the highest-grossing best picture contender at the domestic box office
• The movie got nominations for best picture, best supporting actress (Octavia Spencer), and best adapted screenplay
• the film won the outstanding cast performance at the Screen Actors Guild Awards 
• The movie addresses important issues on how women were treated in male dominated workplaces, issues that are still apparent in the workplace today. The women not tolerating the misogynistic behaviour is appealing to a lot of the current generation as it is a brave and respectable thing to do, also relatable in some way.
• It also addresses issues of how African-American women were treated and still are in some places. Again this is appealing to the current generations as we support the 3 women battling it.

• Media concentration / Conglomerates – Combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries
• Globalisation (in terms of media ownership) –  Worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange of ideas
• Vertical Integration & Horizontal Integration – A horizontal integration consists of companies that acquire a similar company in the same industry, while a vertical integration consists of companies that acquire a company that operates either before or after the acquiring company in the production process.
• Gatekeepers – People or policies that act as a go-between, controlling access from one point to another
• Regulation / Deregulation –
• Free market vs Monopolies & Mergers –
• Neo-liberalism – Used to refer to market-oriented reform policies
• Surveillance / Privacy / Security / GDPR – Close Observation

Three female African-American mathematicians play a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn’s launch into orbit. Meanwhile, they also have to deal with racial and gender discrimination at work.

Hidden Figures had a budget of 25 million USD, making it a low to medium budget Hollywood film. 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%. It was the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee at the 89th Academy Awards and it was one of the top twenty most profitable release of 2016.  Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be 95.55 million USD. I feel that all of these facts prove that this film was very successful and thoroughly enjoyed by multiple audiences globally.

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“