"The Help" enjoyed a strong box-office debut over the weekend — but it also got what could be a big boost from a screening that didn't add a nickel to its $25.5 million gross.
The ensemble film, which was adapted from Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel set in civil rights-era Mississippi, had its free screening for Academy members at AMPAS's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Saturday afternoon. According to a member with no stake in the success of the film, it drew an audience that arrived early and filled the 1,000-seat theater to as much as 90 percent capacity, an extremely good showing for a 4 p.m.