[dropcap size=big]O[/dropcap]ver the weekend the Jordan Peele film Us silenced any last Hollywood naysayer that might remain against the power of black genre films to drive audiences to movie theaters.
In its first weekend, Us has broken records for one of the biggest weekend openings for an original movie, bringing in $71.1 million — more than tripling its $20 million budget. The film joins the few original movies with breakout weekend performances of the decade since last year’s A Quiet Place. It earned the third highest grossing for a horror film opening of all time. And it has the biggest R-rated domestic opening weekend since Ted in 2012.
The story follows a family who vacations at a beach house in Santa Cruz, where they start to see dopplegangers of themselves. Lupita Nyong'o plays two characters who are complete opposites. Perhaps the most impressive feat is Nyong'o’s manipulation of her voice to create an absolutely terrifying villain. In an interview, Nyong'o says the method is based on a disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. The condition leads to spasms in speech that create a dry baritone voice.
Not to mention that she plays both the protagonist and antagonist.